What Max has Taught Me (so far)

He's taught me a TON (like poop on my jeans isn't that big of a deal), but here are 2 biggies:

1) How much God loves ME. It's funny to think that a baby can teach you about God and His love . . . but he can! I can't remember if I already blogged about this, but I'm gonna again; so, bear with me. :) After Max was born, I said to Brook, "Now, I know why they say you don't mess with bear cubs, b/c the mama bear will KILL you!" Brook laughed so hard, but it's true! Never before have I known love like this. I love a lot of people, but this love is different. I think about Max and all the good that I want for him in his life. And one day, it hit me: God loves ME even more than I love Max and he wants good things for ME even more than I want for Max. It was an "aha" moment for me. For whatever reason, I really struggle with believing that God truly loves me and that He wants good things for my life. This has been a struggle for the last 10 years or so and something I have to constantly work on believing. Whenever I start getting those doubts now, I stop and think about how much I love Max.

2) I can only change me. I've heard that saying many times . . . "The only person you can change is yourself." I never really put it into practice until after Max was born. I remember the day very clearly. It was during the first month of Max's life - you know, the month where I was still like, 'Oh my gosh, my life is changed forever' and I didn't know if that was good or bad. I was tired and feeling down, b/c I was up late, trying to get him to sleep and the only way he would sleep was by me nursing him. I was driving home from Meijer and started crying. I said to God, "Just help Max not to be like that anymore!" Then, it hit me, that was not the right prayer to pray! So, instead, I said, "OK God, please help me to meet Max's needs give me the grace to get through this time." From that day on, things greatly improved (mainly my outlook). Right now, we are dealing with some sleep regression issues. At first, I was pretty frustrated and trying everything I could to get him to STTN again. Then, I realized, there is only so much I can do. He is waking up for a reason (thank you internet for explaining that to me!) and it is my job as a mom to be there for him and give him what he needs.

3 Months Old!

My little baby is getting big! How is it that he's 3 months old already? (Almost 3.5, by the time I'm posting this) I'm sure I'll be saying that for the rest of our lives . . . how is that he's 1 . . . 10 . . . 18 already?! This child has brought joy to my life that I never imagined. Besides marrying Brook, having him was, hands down, the best thing I've ever done. How can something that is so much work be so completely wonderful? It's such a mystery. I thank God every day for giving me this baby.

I went back to work full-time last week and it's going fine. It helped that I did a few weeks at part-time before that. I only teared up once; so, I was proud of myself. :-) Between Brook, myself, Hannah and 1 other person, Max is cared for at our home. It's nice not having to rush around, get him ready and out the door in the morning.

Max at 3 months:

- He is a happy, happy baby. Don't get me wrong, if he wants something, he gets his point across, but most of the time he is smiling or babbling.
- He is an awesome eater . . . latched on right away at the hospital and never looked back. I've never had to supplement with formula and for that, I am very thankful. I'm so glad I decided to BF. The first month was tough - being sore (luckily, only for a week or so), but I struggled more with feeling like it was all on me. Now, I love it! I would like to try to nurse until he's a year, but we'll see how it goes. That said, I am excited to give him baby food, b/c my mom bought me this. (Yes, I am a dork!) But I am going to try (TRY being the key word there) to wait until he's 6 months old.
- Most nights, he sleeps 9pm-5:30am. And he only wakes up (barely) at 5:30, b/c I get him up to feed him before I leave for work. Then, he goes back to sleep til about 8am. This makes mommy very happy!
- He is quite the talker. In the middle of eating, he'll just look up and start babbling, like he's telling me all about his day. Quite hilarious! Between Brook and Max, I can't get a work in edge-wise. Haha!
- He loves to sit up and look around . . . isn't much of a cuddler at all.
- He loves his daddy! When Brook calls, I put him on speaker and Max gets the BIGGEST grin . . . then, starts babbling, of course!
- He just started gripping his toys and batting at items hanging on his activity mat. When we go for walks, he just stares at all the scenery. It's so neat to watch him discover the world.
- The kid loves baths! He flails and kicks and tries to drink the water. Crazy boy! We are going to enroll him in baby swim class in 3 months - hopefully, he like that just as much.
- He is on the verge of rolling from his back to his stomach and is a very active little guy. If he's in his bouncer or on a blanket on the floor, he kicks and moves so much, he works up a sweat!
- He's wearing 6 month clothes and at his last dr appt was in the 67th percentile for weight and height.
- He fights going to sleep more times than not. (Why child, WHY?!) He likes it when we sing to him. We are good singers. Haha!