Two Weeks (Already?!!)

Monday we went to the pediatrician for Max's two week checkup, where we learned that we have one fast-growing baby boy! He weighed in at 8 pounds, 4 ounces - which means he gained back his birth weight and then some! That news did this mama's heart some good (those first two weeks of breastfeeding were quite worrisome!). He was so alert for the entire appointment and was such a champ when they pricked his heel for the newborn blood test - only a little whimper!

Of course, then he fell asleep and slept for the next four hours while his Dad and I went to Target,
to my doctor's appointment, and out to lunch at Panera.
If only he would sleep so long and so soundly at night! We'll keep working on it... :)

It's hard to believe that Max is already two weeks old. Do you think it's premature to feel like he'll be graduating from college in the blink of an eye? We are trying to savor every minute - and yes, we CAN do that with our eyes closed for a cat nap. ;D

Introductions

Max met some new people over the weekend:

 

Auntie Jules and Aunt Katie came into town for some great baby snuggles. :)

Max also got to meet his Great Uncle Fred who was passing through. (Sorry, no picture.)

And it was such a treat to have Mini and Zu back for a visit so soon!

They were wonderful about bringing us meals, helping with laundry, and always volunteering to hold Max so I could take a nap - or work on a blog post!

It was so great to spend several days with Clay's family over the weekend. 

Max can't wait to see you all again very soon! ;D

Blessing of the Week

Both of my parents were able to spend some time with us after Max's birth, 

helping prepare meals, doing laundry, scrubbing the bathtub, and working on household projects - just generally taking care of me so I can take care of Max. 

There was, of course, lots of baby holding to be done while I took a shower or a nap:

These past two weeks have been absolute heaven (minus the sleep deprivation part) to have them here, and I was so sad to see them head back to Florida yesterday.

Thank you, Mom and Dad, for all your help! Max is so lucky to have a Grammie and Doc like you. :)

So Much To Celebrate

It is an understatement to say that we have had so much to celebrate
in the Rich household over the past few weeks!

We celebrated the birth of our son Max.

Not long after that was Clay (and Mark's) birthday,
for which occasion we enjoyed a nice meal at home - complete with strawberry cake!

Then came Father's Day - Clay's first as a dad and my dad's first as a grand-dad.

Max turned ONE WEEK OLD. 

(Doesn't he look so different already?!)

Clay's sister Julie also celebrated her 25th birthday this week.

(Picture of her celebration to come!)

What are YOU celebrating? :D

Happy Birth Day, Max!

Sorry for the blogging hiatus, folks, but things have been busy around our house - we're adjusting to life with our newest family member, Maxwell James (AKA Max).

He joined the party on Monday, June 13th at 7:56am, 

weighing in at 7 pounds 13 ounces and measuring 21 inches long.

This little guy has turned our world upside-down, for sure, 

and we are loving every sleep-deprived minute!

Many thanks to everyone who has shared encouraging words over the past few days. 

We are beyond blessed!

40 Weeks

I know many of you have been anxiously awaiting a post introducing our new little one - but alas! 

He/ she is still in my tummy, as you can see:

40 Weeks

This has been quite a crazy week, to say the least. I went for my routine check-up on Tuesday only to discover that Baby Rich has turned breech yet again! (Let's hope this is not an early indicator of what's to come in the teen years.) My doctor did a sonogram to confirm that yes-indeedy, our little one is head up and recommended that we schedule a c-section soon. The minutes that followed seem like a blur as I tried to wrap my head around the fact that yes, this baby had to be delivered by c-section and my visions of natural childbirth were pretty much out the window. I walked out of her office in a daze, clutching the pre-op instructions for the c-section I never thought I'd have.

Even after daily trips to the chiropractor and frequent inversions, Baby Rich has stayed put. Many tearful conversations and hours of internet research later, I am more accepting of the way this child has to enter the world. And I am already learning that parenting is a journey in letting go - of expectations, of plans, of pride, and of this precious life that God is so generously sharing with us. (I have a feeling there are many more lessons just waiting to be uncovered!)

So Clay and I will be heading to the hospital tomorrow morning for my scheduled c-section - and to finally meet our little gymnast!

You Know You're 39 Weeks Pregnant When...

That TV show you used to hate suddenly becomes interesting after not being able to reach the remote.

Somehow you suddenly have to pee immediately after peeing.  How is this possible???

Any comfortable place you sit becomes the perfect spot for a nap.

Friends end conversations with you by saying, "The next time I see you, you'll have a baby!"

You have to mentally prepare yourself for the chore that is rolling over in bed.

You used to shave your legs for your husband; now the only time that happens is prior to an OB appointment.

You've had your hospital bag packed and sitting by your front door for the past several weeks.  

There is literally nothing in your house that you haven't cleaned or organized.

You spend a lot of time worrying about a painful birth, but mostly about not being able to eat while in labor.

It takes considerable effort to get dressed in the morning. Who knew putting on underwear could be a workout?!

Flip flops have become your footwear of choice because nothing else will accommodate your marshmallow feet.

Every time you call your husband, the first thing he asks is, "Are you in labor?"

You seriously wonder if your belly can get any bigger:

You aren't sure if you can wait any longer to meet your sweet little baby!!! :)

Rich Craft: Nursery Mobile Edition

So the other day when I was in the waiting room at my doctor's office,

I picked up the June issue of Parents magazine to help pass the time.

In it, I found instructions for this adorable mobile:

[via]

I knew right then and there this would be the perfect addition to Baby Rich's nursery!

After rummaging through my scrapbook paper stash and a quick trip to Michael's,
I was ready to get started.

My sister-in-law was gracious enough to let me use her Cricut to cut out 2" circles with little holes - over 200 of them! Then I arranged them into color groupings (similar to the picture above) and recruited my husband to help me connect them together with 7mm jump rings in nine-circle sections. Let's face it - he is much handier with needlenose pliers than I!

I ended up using 10" and 8" embroidery hoops for my mobile, which meant I needed a few more strands of circles than the instructions called for - about 22 in total. Armed with my trusty glue gun, I attached the top circle to the embroidery hoops, spacing them out about 1/2" apart.

Next I took some fishing line and attached it to three different places on each of the hoops. Thanks to some help from dear husband Clay, we figured out how to hang them above the changing table so that the smaller hoop was about 6 inches lower than the larger one.

The result?

An adorable handmade mobile that only cost me about $10 bucks!

Hopefully this will help keep Baby Rich occupied and less squirmy while I change his or her diapers. ;D

More nursery crafts to come!

It's All Coming Together

Baby Rich's room is starting to look more like a nursery and less like a mish-mash.

The play yard is set up in our room and ready for a new little tenant.

The high chair has taken up its residence at the kitchen table,

just waiting for lots of little food particles to collect in its seat. :)

Our bags are packed for the hospital and ready to go -
that is, if Clay can stay out of the snacks until then!

And the car seat is installed properly in the Venza (yes, I had it inspected!)

and ready to transport our little one home from the hospital.

All of our preparations for this little one are coming together.
Won't be long before he/ she gets here!

38 Weeks

Here's a pic at 38 weeks:

Where has the time gone?! It seems just like yesterday

we were waiting for the results of that fateful pregnancy test... :)

I went to the doctor for a checkup on Tuesday and received the good news that Baby Rich has turned head down - HOORAY! Currently I am dilated 1cm (same as the last time she checked) and 50% effaced. Everything else is looking good, so we'll see what happens between now and next Tuesday. :)