Maverick is one week old!

I can hardly believe it. This week has zoomed by. I knew it would go fast, but I had no idea time could slip through your fingers that easy. Hopefully this is not a true indication of what life is like with two kids, because if that's the case I seriously need to get out the camcorder. Not only did it go by fast, but it was a complete whirlwind and there are a lot of details that are already fuzzy. I do know this. I completely grew a new heart this week. I have fallen so head over heels in love with my new little man. I really was so anxious about the whole idea of bringing home a second baby, and loving another child as much as the first. All it took was holding him in my arms for a second and every little worry was calmed. He was my Son, I was his Mommy, and there is an immediate bond that becomes completely clear right after birth. A week ago today, I held him in my arms and knew the joy of having a son, the thrill of becoming a new mom again, and the new love that every child brings into the world when they arrive.

I was so lucky this week to have some of my family in town to help out after Maverick was born. My sister Jenelle and Dad had been here since before the birth and were Maverick's first visitors in the hospital. My Mom had been here before the birth as well, but had to leave for a few days and it worked out that that was when he was born. So Grandma M didn't get to meet him until Sunday night, when he was about two days old. But they all were here to spend Mav's first week with us, Jenelle left yesterday and Mom and Dad left this morning. Thank you all so much you guys! They were all so helpful, my house was spotless, lots of food, and most importantly, Tula was well taken care of and entertained, giving me the opportunity to spend lots of time with Maverick, doing whatever he wanted to do. Luckily for me, that was mostly sleeping and eating, so we spent lots of time in bed, getting to know eachother, snuggling and snoozing and him eating like a champ. Breastfeeding him has been a breeze, he figured it out right away and seems to be eating well and often. He seems to be a very satisfied and content little guy. He is still sleeping a lot throughout the day and pretty much just wakes to eat. The nights are the same, I am getting two and sometimes three hour stretches thoughout the night, but he will wake up and eat and go right back to sleep, so no complaints here! He is sleeping with us for now, so feedings are pretty easy for me and don't require a lot of work. Of course I am feeling like I am definately lacking in the sleep department this week, its the fact that the hours are uninterrupted that really get ya, but the weeks coming up will be the true test, this one was easy cause we got to nap so much thoughout the day, a luxury I wont have now that Grandpa, Grandma,, and Auntie are all gone. We are gonna miss that, but looking forward to getting into a routine as a new family of four.

The other wonderful thing about Maverick's first week is we actually had Daddy home all week long. It was actually kind of involuntary, things have been slow here and there wasn't a bunch of work so John actually had a whole entire week off. This is the first time that had happened, sometimes he gets a day or two off but never that much time. Although we couldn't afford to do it all the time, it was a great week for him to have and I am so thankful to have had him around so much. Watching him hold our babies, and just love them up is one of the most beautiful parts of being a Mother. It gives you a whole new love for your husband, and watching John with his son this week has let me fall in love all over again with him. John is truly an amazing Daddy, he has a patience and calmness with our kids that amazes me. I loved having him around so much, and we will all miss him like crazy his first day back to work next week.

So a quick recap of Maverick's first week:

Friday- born at 3:08 and had Grandpa, Auntie Jen and Tula as our first visitors.
Saturday- released from the hospital 24 hours after delivery (to the minute, that was so annoying). We went home and Grandpa and Auntie Jen and Tula had a sign on the front lawn, a cake, and a houseful of it's a boy balloons waiting for us. We felt so special and celebrated! John and I took Tula for a walk by herslf that night, she missed us so much while we were gone. We had an early dinner and got settled into our home with the new baby, my own bed had never felt so good after a long night in the hospital.
Sunday- Maverick's first outing! We got up Sunday morning and headed over to the golf course for breakfast. Tula loves her weekend pancakes and we figured it would be an easy "first trip". We hauled Grandpa along for the adventure. It went well, Mav slept through the whole thing. But there was lots to pack to get ready to take two babies out of the house, and it felt like a huge deal walking into a restaurant with both of them. It will probably be awhile until we feel like we can do a dinner with the both of them, breakfasts are doable but that will probably be the extent of our eating out as a family for awhile. Maybe...we'll see. Sunday afternoon Grandpa and daddy took Tula swimming and Mommy and Maverick slept the afternoon away. Grandma M came in Sunday night and met baby Mav for the first time, we had dinner at home and kept it low key.
Monday- First Doctor appt, Mav looked a little yellow so they ordered us to go the next morning for bloodwork to make sure his bilirubin count was okay.
Tuesday- Woke up bright and early, I had an immigration appointment downtown Phoenix at 9 am and I didn't want to go with out Maverick in case I would be long and he got hungry. JOhn drove us and him and Mav waited in the car for me. Luckily, I was only an hour and they were kind enough to let me wait in our truck for my appointment. I was not taking Mav in there! We headed home, and stopped at a lab to get bloodwork. That afternoon, we got the call that Mav had jaundice (he number was 20.8) and he needed to be admitted to the hospital that night. We had dinner with Tula and and then Me, my mom and sister took him to the hospital while Daddy stayed home to put Tula to bed. I stayed that the hospital that night by myself with Mav, he hated the tanning bed and wouldn't stay in there so I was getting no sleep . I finally called John at 4 am and he came to relieve me for a few hours, I got a sleep a little and so did the baby. Tuesday night was a long night, all that crying did him some good though cause he had his first poop!
Wednesday - We were released at 3 in the afternoon, Mav's blood came back and he was down to a 15. We came home and Grandpa and Grandma had taken Tula to Scottsdale for the afternoon, so we had the house and baby to ourselves. We took Maverick out for dinner, and he was a doll and slept the entire time, not one peep.
Thursday- Auntie Jenelle left in the morning. My Mom and I took both kids to lunch at Olive Garden and then home for naps. We went out for dinner and some dancin' at San Tan Flats. Tula loves to dance out there, and Maverick made life easy again by sleeping through the whole night. He didn't make a peep at all, this kid is really a dreamy, easy baby so far!
Friday- Happy one week birthday Maverick! Grandpa and Grandma left this morning and our friends Kayden and Tatum came for a visit this afternoon. It was nice for Tula to see her friends for awhile, and Kaisha ended up watching the kids while I headed back to the lab with Mav for his final bloodwork to tell us everything was fine and his numbers were lower and jaundice was clearing up! Wonderful news! My poor baby has two black heels from having so much blood drawn this week. What a trooper!

So the week has actually been relatively busy, the mediacal worries we had with Mav kept us a little more on our toes than anyone wants to be the week of bringing a baby home. But we are grateful and blessed that he is healed and there is no more concern. There is nothing scarier that having a sick baby, and a trip to a pediatric unit, walking up the halls and seeing all the different medical equipment for kids reminds me, as a mother, how truly blessed I am to have two perfectly healthy babies. What a gift!

Maverick, Happy One week Birthday Little Man! You are such a handsome baby, with such a calm personality (so far) and possibly the cuddliest baby I have ever known. And you barely cry! We welcome you into our family with open arms and thank you for all the joy you have brought into our lives already! Thanks for such a fun and happy week! We love you so much already and cannot wait to watch you grow!

Introducing......

I know, I know, I am slacking! This blogging thing is no small task for a new Mommy of two! I will try and add Maverick's birth story as soon as possible but I am going to need a little patience, it will probably be a couple days. In the meantime, I am trying to add pictures to the Mac Gallery regularly so keep checking back for those. I had to switch my blog up a little too, I am pretty sure the new addition wouldn't be into a pink blog, so ta da! It's pretty plain for now, I will play with that when I have more time too! For now, enjoy the new look and new stories from me as life as a family of four. The first week has proven itself to be hectic, but the abundance of joy that Maverick has added to our home makes every bit worthwhile. Anyways, almost a week later, here is the official announcement! Maverick is here, and life as a family of four has officially begun!

A Fun Night!

Tonight was Tula's "last" night as an only child so we wanted to take her out and do something special and fun just for her.  And would Tula love to spend a night any other way than out on a dance floor cutting a rug with her Daddy?  Absolutely not!  We took her to a really cool place out by our house called San Tan Flats.  It's like an old Western restaurant and bar with live music and a dance floor and BBQ pits outside.  We had a great dinner and sat around outside for awhile afterwards taking in the entertainment.  As soon as we got outside and Tula heard the music she started boppin'.  First we just let her stand on our table, she kind of would bounce up and down a little and try and snap her fingers the way she does.  Then, when she finally got out on the dance floor, there was no stopping her.  John, Jenelle, or my Dad would take he our for half a song or so and go to bring her back to the table and she would be ready to go again.  John even requested and had the guy play some Brooks and Dunn, Tula's favorite! She actually seemed to recognize the Boot Scootin' Boogie, and danced even harder to it. Hopefully Baby Brother likes country music too, Tula seems to have found her genre of choice and it looks like she's gone country all the way.  

We had so much fun watching her out there.  I felt so proud, she was such a little joy and everyone was smiling and watching her and thought she was just the most adorable thing ever. Of course I couldn't have agreed more.  Watching her and John out there and the reminder of sheer joy that my family brings me was such a great way to spend the night. Tula, thanks for a wonderful last night just the three of us!  Can't wait to bring your Brother home to you tomorrow and start this new journey together with you.  Mommy and Daddy love you!

Tomorrow we will meet our son!

I really cannot even believe it.  Time has just flown by with this pregnancy.  I remember finding out Christmas morning and announcing it to everyone that afternoon, and sometimes I feel like it has just been a whirlwind since then.  I think because I had Tula for this pregnancy, she kept me so busy and occupied that I didn't have time to sit around and think about it like I did with her.  In a way, I am glad for that.  I liked that it went by fast and everytime I thought about just how pregnant I really was it seemed I was at least a week farther along than the last time I had stopped to think about it.  The end has been tougher though.  The last six weeks, since Tula has been really mobile and fully walking, have been exhausting, to say the least.  I think just being in the last trimester can be tiring enough, but add on 110 degrees of heat every single day, and throw a toddler to chase around into the mix and the exhaustion seemed almost unbearable at times.  Thank God for Moms!  Both Mine and John's came out and braved the heat to spend a week or two with us cooking, cleaning, and helping out with Tula.  Letting us get lots of sleep and go out for dinners and that kind of fun stuff.  And don't get me wrong, for the most part I have amazing and perfect pregnancies, I have with both kids.  But the second time around in 2 years...the end gets a little long.  I feel like I have been anxious to meet him for weeks now, wondering if he would pop out  a little early and spare me the "joys" of going overdue.  But alas, that is not the case.  I am 40 weeks tomorrow, and my doctor and I have decided, for a couple different reasons, that I am going to get induced.  

First of all, it really annoys me to this day that I went a full week overdue with Tula and did not even so much as dialate on my own.  I was indced at exactly 41 weeks, as far as they would let me go having Gestational Diabetes.  Oh yeah, and I tried EVERYTHING with her to get her to come out on her own.  It was June in CT, the weather was great, and we were walking usually twice a day.  Mexican food, eggplant, pineapple.....castor oil?!?!  Nothing worked, I still had to be induced.  And I was really bummed about it, I really , really would love to have that fun experience of going into labor on my own, and I swore that the next time I was pregnant I would have that chance.  Oddly enough, now that I am here again and in the same boat, an induction doesn't seem like that bad of an idea and I don't remember it being awful at all.  It's not like I have spent the last year sitting around feeling sorry for myself about Tula's. I had a wonderful birth with her, and although I was induced and had a much more intense labor than was probably neccessary, I was still able to do it without an epidural or any other pain relief and that was the most important part to me.  I can only pray tomorrow's induction goes as smoothly as the last.  

So here is the plan.  I am to go to the hosptital at 5:30 am and check myself in.  If I am at 3 cm (which we are really hoping for, I was at 2 cm at my appointment on Monday) the doctor is going to just break my water for me with the hopes that that would send me into active labour right away.  If I am not yet at 3 cm, they will use a cervix ripening agent for a couple hours and then break my water when I am at three cm.  I have already made the Doc promise that if the nurse checks me at 5:30 and I am at 3 cm already, he will come to the hospital right away and not make me wait around all morning for him.  I will post a birth story as soon as possible, I am hoping it is really quick and we will be holding our son by lunchtime tomorrow!  

Baby Boy, I feel like I have waited forever and a day to meet you.  I absolutely cannot wait to hold you in my arms, to smell your new baby smell, and look at your perfect face and rest easy knowing you have arrived safe and sound.  You are going to bring so much to our family, and I cannot wait to meet you and get to know you.  Doing this the second time around, I know I have so much more of a grasp for just how much I am going to love you, and how much I already do.   Mommy and Daddy and Tula cannot wait to meet you and welcome you into our lives.  You are so very loved.

Today is an emotional day for me knowing it is my last day with just one "baby".  I have adjusted to living life with  one year old and I totally understand how easy they are compared to a newborn.  On the other hand, having went through the newborn stage already with Tula, I realize how fast it goes and how precious those moments are.  I know today will be emotional for me with Tula, I keep getting those feeling of "this will be the last time we get to do this or that"... but I am just trying to relax and enjoy today and not think about it too much, it gets me way too emotional.  

Tula, this year with you as been a delight and I have loved being able to pour all my love into you and only you.  There have been so many special times, jut the two of us and although this parenting thing is a constant learning curve, you showed me what is is to be a Mommy and how special the love is between a Mother and a child.  We have become the best of friends and you are the light of my life! Although this is going to be an adjustment period for all of us, maybe you the most, I want you to always know I just love you with all my heart.  I am so excited for you to meet your Baby Brother, I know you will be the best Big Sister in the whole wide world!

Miss me?

I know it's been forever since I have posted anything. I am absolutely exhausted and at the end of my pregnancy am finding it really tough to sit at the computer long enough to actually write something. I have been adding pics to the Mac gallery often, so check there for the latest and greatest in our life. Not a whole lot is new, Tula did turn 13 months old last week but I must say all of a sudden, after the first birthday party, those little monthly ones aren't near as exciting. And although she changes every day right now, sometimes seemingly by the minute, there aren't a lot of major milestones to post about. She has went from walking to full on running, she has turned into an absolute clown and loves to make us laugh. Her personality seems to be more apparent everyday, and I feel like I am really getting to know this little person who is just her wonderful self. We have had our first couple "episodes" out and about because I won't let her walk places, she is starting to not love her stroller and has occasionally fought me to go into it. Food is going okay, she eats great at breakfast and lunch still, dinners are touch and go. She would still prefer to eat purreed food for dinner and I am really trying to get her on finger foods and thats been a bit of a challenge. I feel constantly worried that she isn't getting enough, though you can see by her growth chart that although she is still small, she is growing lots and on a great curve so I guess no worries there. She drinks whole milk like a champ and still nurses in the morning and occasionally throughout the day, though that is becoming few and far between. Daddy has been doing the "bedtime thing" with Tula the last few weeks, its such a treat and break for me, and she seems to be responding to it really well. Daddy brings her to me (wherever I am in the house) for my goodnight kiss after they do bathtime and then off to read a story with her milk. They have a quick cuddle, and he is able to put her down for bed awake and she will go right to sleep for him. She has really taken to John this month, I have a feeling the bedtime thing may have something to do with it, but its hard to tell if it is a "cause" or "result" of, just hard to tell which came first.

The pregnancy is going great everyone is healthy and that's the most important part. I am, however, completely exhausted and very uncomfortable. It's hot here so that makes it tough, but Tula is also so mobile and I just cannot keep up anymore. More than that, I am just ready to have and hold my son on the outside of me. I can't wait for him to meet everyone that has waited so long for him, and I am just so excited to see him with Tula, to watch my two children together, her holding and loving and kissing him. All that beautiful stuff. Of course John and I can't wait to meet him, but we are excited to show him to his sis and become the family of four that we have waited 9 months to be. I am not going to lie. I am really excited just to be done being preggo for awhile. Do you realize I have been pregnant for approx. 75% of the last two years (sidebar: we were only married two years this June!) So yeah, I can't wait to be done for many, many reasons. But the end is near, we are about 2 weeks away from my due date, so anything could happen at any time! So exciting.

Here's a quick video of some of Tula's giggles, its a quick one but sure to make you smile. Enjoy!

Tula's First Year Growth Chart

Date Age Weight Length

06/29/2007 0 days 7 lbs. 8 oz. 20.5 inches
06/30/2007 1 days 7 lbs. 2 oz. 20.5 inches
07/03/2007 4 days 7 lbs. 4 oz. 20.5 inches
07/12/2007 2 weeks 7 lbs. 15 oz. 20.5 inches
07/26/2007 4 weeks 8 lbs. 13 oz. 21 inches
08/16/2007 7 weeks 10 lbs. 8 oz. 21 inches
09/05/2007 10 weeks 11 lbs. 4 oz. 22.5 inches
09/20/2007 13 weeks 12 lbs. 2 oz. 23.5 inches
10/03/2007 3 months 12 lbs. 8 oz. 24 inches
11/01/2007 4 months 13 lbs. 9 oz. 25 inches
11/30/2007 5 months 14 lbs. 7 oz. 25.5 inches
01/03/2008 6 months 14 lbs. 11 oz. 26.5 inches
01/23/2008 7 months 15 lbs. 9 oz. -
02/29/2008 8 months 15 lbs. 2 oz. 27 inches
03/31/2008 9 months 15 lbs. 7 oz. -
05/08/2008 10 months 16 lbs. 13 oz. 27 inches
05/30/2008 11 months 15 lbs. 8 oz. 27.5 inches
06/20/2008 11.5 mos 16 lbs. 2 oz. 27.5 inches
06/30/2008 12 months 16 lbs. 15 oz 28.5 inches
08/06/2008 13 months 17 lbs. 11 oz 29 inches