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!