Going on 5 Months

Man, lots of things have been happening the last few months (as you can imagine).

Max will be 5 months in a couple weeks and BOY has that flown by!

Our little stinker is not so little for his age, he is in the 60%+ in all areas.

Max still wakes up once or twice a night (on an average night) mostly to eat an ounce or his pinkie falling out... I know tragic right? Last week he was a stinker and he was having a difficult time. Seemed he always wanted to be held & didn't want to sleep on normal hours. He seems to be coming back though.

He loves to be entertained.. oh boy is he lucky to have such a goober mom & I am lucky to have someone that loves my dorkiness. He loves to be sang to (even if you can't carry a tune apparently), Danced to/with, Talked to, walked around, and such a cuddle bug.

MaxJax is very close to rolling over by himself & has only done so once. He usually gets 3/4 way there & just chills. I hold out my finger for him to grab and just kind of complete the progress. Unfortunately Max loves to sit up, so he doesn't dig tummy time for too long but w're trying to do more of it to hopefully increase the practice of rolling over and building strength.

Max is also loves standing & sitting up inching towards sitting up by himself. He can do it but he is such a squirmy worm and starts to tilt and falls down sideways.

Max has said 'mom' & 'mamma' once in a while, but it's not consistent. He normally goes through phases where he'll say it a lot & then won't. But there is no denying that Max is a mammas boy! He loves his daddy, but I am just too awesome I can't deny. He gets to play and hangout with daddy when he gets home from work, but when I get home I take over cuz I miss him like CRAZY SAUCE all day while I'm working!!

We have such an awesome group of babysitters! His main babysitter is someone that I've known since I was young and having her is amazing! If I didn't have her and my mom I'd be having such a hard time being at work. My parents are completely supportive and watch pick him up at the babysitters when they're home from work. My inlaws are incredible and help out as much as they can as well! We are very lucky!!!!

Max loves being out and about in the world. We've been trying to take advantage of the few days we have where it's warm and sunny and hangout with him for a bit outside. He seems to have my skin, so I'm cautious of him burning and don't stay out too long. He loves to observe and learn so when we're out he is wide eyed and all smiles. I have to admit we're pretty lame parents and don't go out too much other than restaurants (hence why the baby fat is still renting space).

Speaking of food, I am now working on two things at once! I was always wanting to go to the gym but didn't always have someone to watch Max in the morning, before I go to work. With my friend living back in Utah & having a gorgeous girl 2 months older than Max, she got me to be brave & use our gum's Daycare. It's been AWESOME!!! I've been able to go 2-4 times a week, and I'm loving it. I'll be honest I still have my appetite and habit of eating what I want and that was not helping with my self-esteem when I wasn't going. Now that I've been going to the gym I may not see immediate results, but I have been feeling a lot better. I may not be to the point where I am completely satisfied, but I understand that will take time. Just with me going and knowing I'm doing something about it helps me feel better and be more patient. I am totally aware that I need to diet and it will take time.. but I admit I'm terrible with diets, but know it may be that time. On a very positive note there is such a STUD from this jiggling section :)

So in short, Max is the cutest kid ever and I love him very very much. He is a happy camper and his parents love him sooo much! I am working hard at eBay and continuing to work on goals on continuing to grow in the company. My goals are to continue to provide for my handsome studs & continue to work hard on making myself happy!

Love My Family!

..I thought I'd blog a ton after having Max but Obviously that isn't happening..

Well after much effort to get our lil man here as soon as possible, Max arrived on June 2nd at 2:37 am. He was 6 lbs & 15 oz and 19.5 inches long.

The whole experience was a roller coaster, but we are all safe & super happy!

Here are some short explanations on our Pride&Joy::

• Since day one Max has been oooober strong! (which from his kicks I could already predict that). He's slowly but surely gotten studly at lifting his head. We have to be extra careful when burping him because he'll whip back his head to look around. Now Max is really good at holding it up for a few seconds with just minor bobbing. I'm a proud mamma!
• He's really adorably mellow & only cried when we changed his bum or he was hungry. Max is still very mellow and VERY ADORABLE, but has gotten a lot better at getting his bum changed. Lately when he wakes up for the day he's all smiles on the changing table.

• We can already tell he's a smarty-pants! He's been very alert since he got here & knows who his parents are! He constantly just stares at me, even when others are holding him or when he hears my voice on the phone. I walk back & forth and he just follows me with his eyeballs.
• I was the first person to have him smile at while my mom was holding him at 2 weeks old. I walked up to him and said 'I Love You Max' & we got this HUGE smile!
• Max is such a smiley kid & has now started 'talking' too!
• He loves to dance! He sits and wiggles his arms & kicks his legs like crazy!
• Last week I was playing with him outside & started singing Beatles 'Across the Universe' & he kicked like crazy with his gorgeous smile. I notice that when I dance & sing to him he Loves it! And of course I'm a goober so I do it constantly & while he was in my belly so he probly grew custom to my not-s0-amazing singing lol.

I now understand what people mean when they have always told me how amazing being a mom is. It's truly indescribable.

I am blown away by the instant love you can have for someone you just meet. I honestly was worried I wouldn't be able to love him as much as I love Alex, but now I'm a believer.

Now the next worry is to love my next wee'one as much as this munchkin! :)

I am very lucky because my job has allowed me an amazing Maternity Leave.

I had 2 weeks prior to Max & 6 weeks with him. It has given me the chance to really observe & learn the ways of Max. We've been enjoying the time off even though Alex has school this semester.

I am enjoying myself too much, because I only have 2 more weeks & I'm selfishly wanting more... Much Much MORE! :)

But I have an amazing job & still need to put Alex through school. We're hoping by the next kid (which won't be for around 3 years) I'll be able to go down to part time??

A girl can dream :) :)

At least with going to work I am able to leave Max with someone I trust. Growing up I had the same Church Leader advance with me while I was growing up & she's offered to watch him! It made me very excited, happy, & relieved! I'll drop him off on my way to work and it'll only be for 5 hours at most & then my mom will pick him up after she's off work.

I'll hopefully keep you posted more as time goes on, but I have to be honest I enjoy playing with Max more hah.

39 weeks

Today we are 39 weeks exactly.. which means that our due date is only one week away!!

To be completely honest I don't think I can last that long!!!

I've been having contractions for days now, and last night I had a bunch!

They were too far apart and only a few 'BAM' ones.

I am so ready to get this little guy outta my belly & into our lives.

It's driving me mad!!

Not to mention I'm just o-so comfortable :)

I have tried walking up & down stairs...showing me how out of shape I am & made me oober sore.
I have tried bouncing on a yoga ball, which seemed to help but obviously nothing too critical.
I have been walking on treadmills the last few days..I should have been doing that for the last few months.
I have done squats & stood swaying back and forth.

All of these have lead to contractions but no baby!!

Trust me I know the labor will be hard work, but I'm so scared that I just want to get that part over with hah.

I want my lil man here already!!

Nursery!

Alex had a week off between semesters at the U, so he started planning on getting Max's room ready!! I was soo happy!!

Alex knew I've been wanting to get it done for months, and the week after I would start Maternity Leave. That would allow me to not stress out about it & be able to decorate :)

He and Jake got the room all painted so we could finish it.

We were a bit too excited and got most of it done within that week.

There's a bit more wall decor that will be added, but I'm soo happy with it!

I have such an awesome Husband!!

Here are some pictures

We still haven't put the crib in there cuz we're going to have it in our room for the first month or two.

Me working hard.. watching Alex put up MAX's letters :)

We got these super cute light switch plates on eBay to go with the room! :)

This room was originally my little brother's, but Alex used the vacancy for homework.

We're going to try and keep him in there so this is Alex's nifty homework station :)

Now we just need Max here to add the BEST accessory of all!! :)

Projects for Nursery

Alex & I were searching for a dresser til my parents offered to give us the one I had growing up.

We wanted to spiff it up because well, it was a little outdated and not technically masculine :)

Alex totally rocked it's world!! He sanded it, picked paint & painted it, & put the knobs on.

It looks AWESOME!!!

Our 'theme' is guitars (music really) as you can see by our crib set. We've been seeing cute paintings at Bed Bath & Beyond, but they're too expensive.

I decided I would try to paint one for his room. It's the first painting I've ever done, so don't judge too much ;)

It turned out better than I expected

There was a little more added to it after this point, but that's basically what it turned out as.

Just Havin Fun

I had Yesterday (& Today) off. I had an idea of all these things I wanna get done.. mostly run errands and.. I got a little carried away.. but at least that provides pictures for you right!?

I planned on the Car Seat & Stroller, but shouldn't have gone into Carters! :) They had SOOO many cute clothes, & tons of guitar clothes!!! Oh man I fought so hard, other wise there'd be tons more here! haha.

My next project is to paint pictures for Max's Room. His room is going to be guitars, like the crib bedding & also all the cute clothes! :) I've started one, I just hope it turns out ok.. I haven't ever painted a picture before so we'll have to see. Wish me luck!! I'll post pictures when it's completed.

I'm excited to paint the room, it just needs a few touch ups before we can put everything in there, and have to paint the room DJ is moving into when he gets home so it's ready for him also.

We also talked to my parents about taking over a dresser that I had when I was younger, and no one uses. So that's a project Alex said he'll do for me because he doesn't want me around the fumes. I just hope it gets warm fast so he can do it, and also he's not too busy with school. I keep thinking of all these things I wanna do & feel like I'm running out of time, when all reality I still have 3 months.. but I'm hoping to keep myself busy so it flies by!

The Gift of Comfort

I'm sooo happy!!! My Snoogle came today!! Alex & I ordered the maternity pillow last weekend cuz I've been having a hard time sleeping. I hope it solves my snoozes & I can be more comfortable. Feel bad for Alex though cuz It's gonna take up a lot of space lol...

Next desire is a King Size Bed!! :)

Ps.... Max is now 16 in (about Head of Cauliflower) & 2.5 lbs!

Max's due date is 3 months from today!!! I'm soo excited!

In just the beginning of 3rd Trimester I'm already not looking forward to the rest of the experience. Since my uterus has started growing I've always had a bit of pain on my right ribs, but now that I'm quite large it constantly hurts. My mom and I were feeling it and it seems the uterus has grown under the muscle, which is making it bulge out lol. So I'm down with the next 3 months coming quickly.

Went and got a Much Needed spray tan, haven't gotten one in probly 2 months. They didn't have feet covers so my feet are pretty interesting! I can't wait til I can go into a bed again!

Oh!! Cribbing

We got his crib up last month & I LOVE it!!! We put it in our room so he can be with us for a few months, but can't wait to get things situated so we can start decorating his own room, but it's nice to have at least his adorable Rock-Star Crib up!

2 months eh?

I can't believe it's been exactly 2 months since I've updated this blog?! oh wait... no I do believe it, I'm basically a slacker. Reading my previous blog I feel pretty silly... one it's been a while, and two we totally caved!!! hahahah. So guess we'll start with that..

Alex and I were soooo very determined Not to find out the sex and we were confident we'd stay strong. Well, let me tell ya how that went (if you didn't already know)..

I started to feel movement, & my love grew!! Then Alex could feel the little movements, which to him felt like lil twitches, but of course we still loved it. After feeling movement we started questioning if we wanted to find out. The night before our UltraSound appointment we decided to have a long talk on what we should do.... we kept going back & forth.. We knew we could wait, but knew if we backed down after the UltraSound that we'd have to go somewhere that we'd have to pay quite a bit just to find out the gender. And feeling him move while having this talk we decided that we just love the lil turd too much. That next morning we woke up bright and early for the appointment. Alex told me about his dream and how he dreamt that it was a girl and what it looked like, I told him that I dreamt of it too. I had a dream but it was a boy. So it made it interesting. Alex's Dad & My Mom came with and we surprised my mom with the decision :)

&&&&&&&&& IT'S A BOY!!!!

I honestly would have loved this kid no matter what sex it was, but I was crossing my fingers & toes for a boy. I wanted to have a boy first and yay we got it! I had a feeling, but just thought it was wishful thinking :) So Max Stout is still due June 6th :) & Boy do I hope it comes quickly.

It has gotten to where Alex can distinctly feel Max move around. I loved the look on his face when he first felt him.. "yay that was actually a big one!" haha. We were having our movie nights that go early into the day one night & we were eating our own separate pint of Ben & Jerry's... (I know typical pregnant food right? wrong we do it all the time!! lol). I was talking to Alex and set my ice cream on my tummy, while talking to him I saw from the corner of my eye the ice cream move!!! I was sooo amazed, but unfortunately Alex couldn't see it. Few nights later I was home while Alex was working & after eating some Mac&Cheese (which I think Max digs cheese) Max was moving a lot. I went upstairs so my mom could feel it for the first time & moved for her, I told her to actually move her hand and BAM we saw him move. We entertained ourselves for about 30 minutes. It reminded me of a dolphins fin surfing around my belly button.

..That's a good summary.. I think?..

..Now-a-Days..

If you haven't noticed I can go on & ooon & OOOoooon about how awesome Alex is, but honestly he is thE best. Every night before we fall asleep he has a 'Max Time'. He feels him move & talks to him. The best part is that Max gets very active now when Alex is around & when he hears his voice!! It's sooo cute! It's when he gets the most active all the sudden. I was trying to get Max to show my in-laws and he was being his typical teasing-self. I had Alex come downstairs & talk to him and there he went, woke up a bit. Man I love my boys!!

I read in my pregnancy journal that he can see now, but it's just very dark (inside my hot bod) & you can play with the baby using a flashlight. So last week we gave it a shot. It was pitch dark in our room & Alex grabbed this awesome flashlight we got from his flashlight-loving Uncle.. seconds went by & WOW he kicked at least a noticeable 2 inches!!! IT WAS AWESOME!! Of course we kept doing it, I strongly suggest it to my fellow Pregos!

I'm now into my 6th month (27 weeks) & creeping into my 3rd trimester.. I have to say already.. no bueno lol. I've gotten sick once so far, and feel like I'm slowly getting a bit nauseous again (?) but hoping not. At night I haven't been sleeping well & CRAVE a maternity pillow so Alex and I ordered one from BB&B (I get it Monday!!! I'm soooo excited). It's starting to worry me so one night I told Alex that I needed to have a 'talk'....

I asked him that I've been trying really hard during this pregnancy to not be a 'typical' pregnant girl. But asked him how he honestly feels I've been, and made him pinky-promise to be honest. He mentioned that I've been impressive actually. He said of course I can a little moody, but it's never towards him and he understands it cuz it's just minor things (I constantly apologize for irritability too, or try to). He said in all honesty the only thing that bugs him is that I get unhappy, such as food is just not as satisfying as it can be, etc. ((Ain't too bad of a complaint if I do say so myself)) and he asked me to ask more from him.

I said well that's perfect that you ask that cuz it leads me into why I brought it up... I was honest and said I can tell things are going to get interesting and may start being a bit more difficult. I'm uncomfortable 92% of the time now, whether it be minor or pretty miserable. I cant sleep very well, constantly waking up to move positions. I've started losing my energy a bit. With all of these I'm worried I might start getting irritable and for him to tell me immediately if I'm being a boob. I completely trusting that he will be able to do this without making it worse because we've always done it and know how to approach it.

It's been getting to the point where I'm starting to not be able to bend over to pick things up !!! haha. Alex is awesome though & automatically will pick things up for me or watch for it cuz I get annoyed and just walk off without trying :) Also my close coworkers won't let me and have yelled at me for even trying to pick up something or plug something in haha.

I assume that I'm obviously pregnant because people that I haven't seen in months or years ask when the baby is due or congrats without me mentioning it :) I've now gained the weight that I lost at the beginning & up one pound past... poop but ok with the poop cuz it's needed.

Max is currently 15" and 2.2lbs!!! I wake up to him moving on both my right and left side!! Its crazy but I love it. I can tell when he's having hiccups (or guess) cuz they're same strength & consistent for a few minutes. I've been getting little contractions since 21 weeks, it scared me at first but dr said it happens rarely. Man those are crazy & makes me oober excited for the real thing :)

Anywho... I'll stop there cuz this is FAR long enough!! Not like anyone is going to read it anyways lol. But my close friend keeps giving me a hard time to put pictures up, so I'll just load all that I've taken since my last post & HOPE to keep this blog up consistently :)

19 weeks

20 weeks

22 Weeks

24 weeks

...& 26 weeks..

18 weeks

Starting to slack on my posts, but it hasn't been too long. Quite a bit has happened, but at the same time not too much :)

Alex is doing well at FedEx working 5pm-8or9pm. At this part time job he put in 12 hours a day around Christmas since he was out of school & they were busy, which is a good stack of savings for us (aka baby spending). He recently just finished his Driving Classes, so he'll most likely be parking the trucks at the end of his shift.. and maybe do some small pick ups. He's done really well with getting his face out there, impressing some of his superiors & making some friends. Those can always make work a bit more enjoyable. So far, with what grades have been posted, Alex got more than a 3.5 GPA last semester.. & GRADUATED with his Associates from SLCC!! WOot WOooot! He's a full University boy now! This will help with his days not being so complicated driving back & forth between each school.. which definitely can be a drag, and was on him. He's going to take a full load this semester again, and hopefully not too large during Summer for the baby. But he's very stoked because they released a Masters program for his degree at the U now too. So we're tacking on an additional 2 years onto his 3 1/2, which really isn't too bad! He's excited, & I'm very proud of my smarty!

I got a promotion at eBay around the 20th of December, and I am now an Operations System Specialist. I felt very honored, and a bit nervous cuz it's a new department and total opposite of my previous 630am-3pm shift. I now work 230-11pm, and to be honest I really enjoy it! I have a great team to work with, great new Supervisor, and these hours are really working out Awesome for me. Towards the last few days of my old shift I really hated being there because I was nauseous right as I got to work and started coming in an hour later to adjust. Now I wake up around 930 am to eat breakfast & shower, then go back to bed for a couple hours, & then get ready for work. I know it makes me sound terribly lazy, but HEY... I was crawling into bed right after work at 3pm anyway, so it's definitely helping me get adjusted :). This way I have been able to see Alex a LOT more!! and I'M LOVING IT! I really enjoy sleeping in with him & staying up late with him. It's perfect, we're loving it. My new position really keeps me busy for the most part, and days/weeks whiz on by!! Half way til my Sabbatical, which is at my 5 year mark at eBay I get a Month off.. PAID! (that was our original plan for starting a baby for maternity leave.. but ya know how that plan went)

...Now about the Baby!...

We are now 18 weeks & 1 day along, which leaves us almost 22 weeks left. My belly finally stopped looking so 'chunky' and started popping a few days before Christmas, and it's just progressed from there. Being in the 2nd Trimester, the lil' tyke is now the size of a Mango (6 in, .5 lbs). Awesomely enough I still weight about 10 lbs lighter than I did before pregnancy.. hey I'm enjoying it while I can lol. I find it ironic that I have been craving Mango slushies to find that it's the measurement of my lil bun muahaha.

We have decided to name the lil Mango 'Jamal' until we find out what the gender is... which will still be in the Delivery Room. January 20th (2 weeks!!) we have our first Ultra Sound!!! I'm so excited to see the lil bean in my belly!!! It's going to be soo magical! I am super nervous for the nurse to slip, but I can't wait to see it!!!

We have a few pictures from Christmas Eve that shows my little pop. I could see & feel it expanding I thought it was crazy then to see how much the belly has grown from just the prior week. Pictures had to be taken to prove that it's actually happening! lol. Alex and I got home from his parent's house on New Years & I felt pretty big. We took pictures that night & you can definitely see the difference. I know it's only the beginning, and I'm still pretty excited.

I just hope I only gain it in my belly, but we'll have to wait & see. I still only really eat cereal, accept when I'm working at night. So maybe I won't gain too much, but we'll have to see. I keep telling myself that I need to workout, but man I never have the energy lol. There will be days where I only plan on laying down for about 45 minutes, and it turns into 3 hours. But just last weekend I only took an hour and a half nap, and stayed up til 6am with friends. I was very impressed with myself, it was definitely worth it!

For the longest time I could not determine if what I thought I was feeling was lil Stouticus or just my tummy. Since I couldn't tell I wouldn't get myself too excited. Now I can definitely feel distinct flutters/quakes that I now know are the baby. You know when you stick your finger in your bellybutton, wiggle it & it tingles? (if not do it now..do it!) That's what it feels like, right below my belly button. It's crazy because some days it's a lot & others it's pretty mild. What I've noticed is that I now hate sitting for long periods of time. I can no longer slouch as much as I do. It's a good thing to help my posture, but man my ribs definitely get the aches of sitting.. my guess is the uterus is very territorial!! My right ribs are even sore to the touch! Alex is the cutest because I get moments where I feel Jamal like crazy, and when I mention it, he immediately puts his hands on my tummy determined to feel it. He's adorable and really wants to feel it, which makes me sad to remind him he probably won't feel it for a few weeks, or even a month..ish.

Ya'll should know this by now.. but man Alex is such a great man!! He's thEE perfect man for me!! I have NO idea what I did to trick him into falling in love with me, but I am enjoying the spell I've casted. He's such a blast to be around & makes me giggle every day! He's going to be such a great Daddy. Alex is such a sweet & understanding person, everyone I introduce him to thinks he's such a great guy & tells me good job.

My family absolutely adores him, which i Love watching him with my Dad most of all. My Dad really enjoys having him around the house to help lift things, get his opinion, watch sports with, & mostly just to talk to. Sometimes Alex kind of has to hide himself because Dad will distract him from his homework lol. It makes me soooo excited to be able to give my (almost) 60 year old parents their first grandkid, & my in-laws their first grandBaby for a few years now.

I could not imagine a better man to enter into parenthood than Alex... I'm very nervous to be a mom & hope I'll be a good one. My biggest worry is to have 2 individuals that I'm head over heels with.. I dunno if I am capable of keeping in that much Love!! :) I'm going to go crazy with all my happiness!!! :) It'll be interesting to see if I can actually love someone as much as my Alex.

That's all my rambles for now.. But I will definitely post some pictures in 2 weeks from the Ultrasound. Cross your fingers that the nurse won't slip the gender to us.. that would be very sad. But I have to admit it's going to get tougher and tougher since we're reaching that point.

We Will Stay Strong! *Flex*