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!

August Fun

August flew by and we had tons of fun! Here are some shots from the month.

Jaime, Veronica and the kids came up and we went to the beach - Max's first trip. He hung out under the umbrella for awhile, but got tired and we headed home after an hour or so.

It's hard to get 6 kids to look!

We went to Michigan's Adventure . . .

Maria had a blast!

Max was content to hang out all day - such a good baby!



Got manis and pedis with April, Anna, Livia and Cindy before Carey's wedding

Brought dinner over to Meghan and Carey's before their wedding

Visited my parents and family

I brought the kids Pop Rocks - aren't I a good aunt? Hehe!

Wedding Weekend!

Well, this was it! Carey and Meghan's wedding weekend! We went down to Jackson Friday morning (ended up buying a new vehicle along the way!) to get ready for all the festivities. I was staying at my parents' with Max and Brook was staying at the hotel with his parents, so he could partay with his brother all weekend. :-) The rehearsal dinner was at Daryls - oh my, how I miss those delicious rolls!

The beautiful couple!

My fabulous SILs - I am blessed!

What a sweetie!

The wedding was at Queens and the reception at the Country Club. Everything was beyond beautiful! Meghan was absolutely stunning (as I knew she'd be) and Carey looked so handsome. Their love for each other is so apparent and I'm glad they found each other. We love you guys and wish you many, many years of happiness!

All ready to go!

The Bisonet Clan!!

JuJu loves her Uncle Brook!

Our friends - Anne & Steve - had a baby girl just 3 weeks before Max was born!

2 Months . . . Almost

Well, Max isn't quite 2 months old, but I have a minute to blog . . . so, I will!

-Last time I weighed him, he was 12.5 lbs; so, the porker is probably 13 lbs now! :-)

-He is such a happy baby. Right now, he is sitting next to me in his bouncy seat, laughing and talking to me.

-When he's awake, he is constantly moving - kicking his legs and moving his arms. I think we're in trouble when he gets mobile!

-He gets the hiccups a lot - at least once a day. (He has the hiccups right now, too.) Poor guy.

-We've taken him to the chiropractor twice. We thought it wouldn't hurt, since the birthing process can be quite traumatic.

-He typically sleeps 5-6 hours at night before waking to eat. Last night, he slept almost 8 hours. So, mama is getting her sleep. Thank-you, baby!

-During the day, he is usually awake about an hour and a half before wanting to sleep again. He takes a short AM nap; then, a 3 or 4 hour nap in the PM. And then another short nap before bedtime. He fights going to sleep. But reading "The Happiest Baby on the Block" really helped me to learn how to sooth him and get him to sleep quickly.

-He started to notice Brady and loves to watch him. He's not interested in his baby toys yet.

-He LOVES to be held and have people pay attention to him.

The first month was hard, I'm not going to lie. Having my 1st child at 31 was tough. For the last 10 or so years, I have done what I want when I want. My time is my own and I don't have to take care of anyone. (Ok, Brady . . . but I can put him in a crate when I go to sleep or go away, so that doesn't really count, does it?) After Max was born, wowsers! I didn't really know how much my life would change. The first month was a HUGE adjustment for me. HUGE! I thought about all the things I couldn't do anymore and plus, I had a needy newborn. Come on, really, what did I expect? Seriously, we had tried to have a baby for a year; then, I was pregnant for how long? You'd think I would've realized how much my life was going to change. You'd think I'd be ready for it. But I didn't until it happened. And then, all of a sudden, it was normal. I still think about our "old" life, but not longingly. The love I have for this child is like nothing I can explain. It is crazy and maddening. I told Brook, "Now I know why they say not to mess with baby bear cubs, b/c the mama bear will kill you." He thought that was hilarious. But, it's true.

He rolled over at 6 weeks. I went Walgreens for 10 minutes and when I walked in the door, Brook was waiting to show me the video. I'll be honest and tell you it ticked me off. I'm with him almost 24 hours a day, I leave for 10 minutes and he rolls over? Which leads me to another subject . . . going back to work. Less than 4 weeks to go and I can't even think about it. What firsts will I miss by not being with him? I love being with him every day. At first, I thought I might be bored, but I'm not at all, even though I don't know many people in town. He is such a joy to be with and we find plenty to keep us busy. We'll see what happens in the future . . .

Here he is at Michigan's Adventure -

So content to hang out & take in the sights and sounds of everything!

Baptized!

Max was Baptized at St. Catherine's on July 24th. We chose to have it done in Concord, so my Grandma could be there and I am so glad we did! Max had about 50 of his family members there as he became a child of God. (The only person missing was my Grandpa Hank, but I know he was there, too, even though I couldn't see him.) He is so loved and we are very lucky to have such a loving, supportive family. After the Baptism, we all went to my parents' for a luncheon. It was a great day!

The story behind Max's name: As Catholics, we wanted to name our child after a saint or Biblical character. We were all set on the girl's name, but couldn't come to an agreement on a boy's name. We wanted something unique (but not TOO unique) and someone who would be a good example for our child. A saint I have always admired is Maximilian Kolbe. He was a priest in Poland during WWII, who publicly spoke out against the Nazis. He ended up in Auschwitz, b/c of his outspokenness. One day, while imprisoned, a prisoner escaped, so 10 men were selected to be starved to death. One was a young father who begged to be spared. Fr. Kolbe heard this and stepped forward, volunteering to take his spot. It took many days for the prisoners to die and the Nazis took joy in hearing them yell and cry out like animals. Maximilian Kolbe prayed with them, said Mass and helped them to stay calm. He survived 2 weeks in the cell with no food and was the last one alive, so the guards injected him with carbolic acid to end his life. When I was in Poland in 2003, I visited the cell that Fr. Kolbe died in; it made an incredible impression on me.

That being said, before we knew the gender of our baby, we were discussing names one cold Sunday morning in January. I distinctly remember saying to Brook, "I hope we don't have a boy, b/c we can't agree on a name." Well, we went to Mass that morning and who was the sermon about? Maximilian Kolbe! Not only that, but before the sermon began, Fr. Bill asked for 11 men to come up to the altar. Brook stood up and went. Once all the men were up there, he asked for the youngest father to step forward. So, Brook did. THEN, Fr. Bill gave his sermon about Fr. Kolbe and Brook was the young dad who was saved in the story. I just sat in the pew, smiling. When Brook returned to his seat, he said, "I think if it's a boy, we have to name him after Maximilian Kolbe." I thought so, too! Funny how God works. God had his name picked out from all eternity. So awesome! We can't wait to see what God has in store for OUR Max's life!

I am reminded of the following scriptures when thinking of Max's name and how we came to it:

"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13

"Before I formed you in your mother's womb, I knew you." Jeremiah 1:5

And his middle name (Luke) is in honor of my Godson who died when he was 4 years-old. Uncle Jeff and Aunt Cheryl asked me to be his Godmother when I was just 18 years-old and it was a huge honor. I loved that little boy dearly and miss him so. When we were struggling to get pregnant, Aunt Cheryl pulled me aside at a family function and said, "It WILL happen - Luke already has your baby picked out for you." (Oh gosh, tears!) It was a wonderful thing to imagine.

The priests who Baptized him: Fr. Denis and Fr. Pawel

(Fr. Pawel is a dear friend of mine from Poland. When he found out I was pregnant, he immediately started making plans to come to the U.S. for Max's birth. I just love how he is gazing at Max in this photo!)

I had the wedding dress I took to Rome (to receive the Papal Blessing) made into Max's Baptismal outfit. And the blanket he is laying on was made by my Aunt Cheryl (Luke's mom).

The Barrett / Wheeler clan
(Uncle Don is my Godfather and reminded me that 31 years ago at this time, he was holding me!)

Uncle Jeff and Aunt Cheryl and fam

Uncle Bob and Aunt Vicki

Bisonet Clan (minus Aunt Meghan)

So glad they all game down from the GR area!

Stevens Clan - love how Grandma is looking at Max!

(This was the first time she met him.)

Godparents - Uncle Wes and Aunt Hannah

Max is very lucky to have many aunts and uncles who love Jesus and will be wonderful, Christian examples for him.

1 Month Old!

A little late, but none-the-less . . . Max was 1 month old August 2nd - oh my, where has the last month gone? As I have said to many people, it's been the longest and shortest month of my life! There is so much to write about (like the reflections of his birth that I have been working on for the last 2 weeks! :-))) I remember coming home from the hospital, walking into our house, seeing my mom and saying (crying), "It's up to me to keep him alive now!" (I think there were some PP hormones going on there!) Well, we've kept him alive for 1 month! As one of my co-workers said, "He's not a fish!" Haha! Lucky for us, Max is a good baby. He only cries when he is tired (fights going to sleep a lot now) or hungry. He usually gets up only twice a night to eat and he is a GOOD eater! He latched on very quickly after he was born and is a very efficient eater. At his 1 month check-up, he was 10lbs, 10oz and 22 oz long (7lbs, 4oz and 2o inches at birth). He got an A+ from his pediatrician!