2 months

Maddox is now 2 months old and I absolutely love being a mommy! He's a whopping 12 pounds 10 ounces and 23 inches long.

He has started to coo and it's incredibly adorable.  Occasionally when I make a cooing noise he will coo back at me. He loves to lay on his changing table and play on his play mat that Uncle Tyler and Aunt Kendall got him.

We went on our first trip out in public that wasn't the doctor's office to babies r us. Maddox did really well and didn't fuss at all. I however could use some practice. I'm sure it was quite comical to watch me try to put Maddox back in the car as the wind carried the shopping cart away and I tried to catch it while simultaneously loading the car seat into the car. Since then we've been out a few times and each time it gets a little easier.

After being home with Maddox for a few weeks I was already having a hard time thinking about leaving him and returning to work.  I had originally planned on returning to work in mid-February so I talked to personnel to see if it was possible for me to stay at home a full 12 weeks which I calculated to be the beginning of March.  She told me that it was possible and my 12 weeks would actually go through most of March.  At first, I really struggled with making the decision of staying home with him or returning to work. I felt a lot of guilt about leaving the kids at school with a sub for so long. After a lot of prayer, I decided to stay at home with Maddox through March.  As much as I love my job and the kids at school I love Maddox more. I want to take this opportunity to spend time with him while I can. I won't be getting a paycheck for 2 months but every moment I spend with him will be worth every monetary sacrifice.

Maddox had been pretty fussy and seemed miserable after eating and when he had gas. He also spits up after almost every feeding sometimes even out of his nose. The doctor told us to put him on gas drops to see if that helped.  After a week of trying the drops with no improvement we started acid reflux medicine. That didn't really work the first few days but it has finally started to make a bit of a difference. We have to keep him upright after each feeding to help the milk stay down and he sleeps at an angle so he doesn't choke on his spit up. This helps a little with his reflux but he still has times where the milk starts to come back up and will upset him in the middle of the night.

I took Maddox to go look at wedding dresses with Kendall. He did a great job and barely made a peep the entire time.  We also went to lunch and to look at tuxes and at each place he was great.  This was the longest he's been out since he's been born.

Maddox had his 2 month appointment and got his 2 month vaccines.  I was really dreading this because typically they get 5 shots in the leg one after the other. I spent the morning pretty upset not wanting my poor baby to be pricked with needles and saying lots of prayers. Once again God came through and we were very blessed to find out that Maddox would only be getting 2 shots. They were able to combine 3 vaccines in one shot--they said this rarely happens because they typically don't have enough medicine to this, he also was able to take one vaccine orally.

 

We are blessed with our sweet boy every day and look forward to more blessings in month 3.

1 month old

I can't believe our sweet boy is already a month old.  These past four weeks have flown by but I've enjoyed every minute of it.  Even though I've only left the house a handful of times there's been a lot going on.  We've had tons of family and friends that have come to meet Maddox. We've also been extremely blessed with meals three times a week, meaning neither Garrett or I have cooked in over a month now. I'm not sure I'll know where to find the kitchen once this all slows down. We've enjoyed some incredible meals and are so blessed to be able to spend more time with Maddox and not have to worry about cooking.

We got to celebrate our first Christmas with Maddox.

New Year's Eve

I may be a little biased but Maddox is already brilliant and really strong.  He can already hold his head up for several seconds. He loves to stare at the Christmas tree, have his back patted, and be touched. At his 2 week doctor's appointment he was already up to 9 pounds and 10 ounces-the 83rd percentile. He's quite the chunk. :) He doesn't sleep very well unless he's up against a warm body so he's sleeping cuddled up against me on the couch at night... Something I swore I'd never do but when it's 3am and exhaustion has the best of you you do a lot of things you said you'd never do. Plus I've really come to enjoy this sweet bonding time with my little boy.  He's slowly getting better about napping in his sleeper during the day, hopefully in several weeks we can transition this to night time as well.

Garrett and I are slowly adjusting to parenthood. It's a lot more difficult than I thought it would be but at the same time it's even more rewarding than I could ever imagine. In the past month Garrett and I have sat down to one warm meal that we got to eat at the same time. Other than that we take turns eating dinner.  I eat my meals when there's time, not when they are warm and ready, or when I'm hungry. I change clothes several times a day due to an unreal amount of spit up. I shower faster than I ever have before and only put lotion on if the little guy isn't fussing. With these silly sacrifices I'm also able to sit still longer than I ever have before and stare at Maddox's sweet face.

We can't wait to see what his second month of life holds! 

40 weeks...the best week yet

Well week 40 was best week by far...Maddox Thomas Giles made his appearance.

Let's start at the beginning.  Saturday night I had a dream that Maddox was coming soon but didn't think too much about it since I knew that he would be here on Tuesday. Well then Sunday morning I began having contractions. My doctor had told me to wait to go to the hospital until they were 5 minutes apart for a continuous hour and lasted for a minute each. Well these contractions went on all day long and never hit those requirements. Finally that night my contractions were about 6-8 minutes apart so we called the doctor and went in to the hospital despite the ice storm that had hit.  They admitted me and I was 100% effaced but I was still only 1cm dilated.  The doctor told them to send me home because I wasn't dilated far enough.  The nurses didn't really agree but gave me a shot for the pain and sent us home. We got home and I laid in bed to try to go to sleep and not 5 minutes later my water broke so we braved the ice again and went back to the hospital.  By the time we got to the hospital I was 4cm dilated and having a lot of pain with the contractions.  Thirty minutes later I had had an epidural and was now 8cm dilated. Shortly after it was time to push.

Labor wasn't nearly as bad as I had expected it to be. Thank God for modern medicine. Garrett was great during the delivery and helped keep me calm while he watched the whole thing...and didn't pass out.  Maddox wasn't coming out on his own very easily so they had to use the vacuum to help him out, because of this they brought in NICU which freaked me out big time. As soon as he got here (to the tune of Amazing Grace) the nurses told me to open my eyes and what I saw was a sweet little baby not making a sound for what seemed like forever, which freaked me out even more, until I heard his beautiful cry. The doctors immediately checked him over and I finally got to hold my sweet boy.  Maddox was born December 9th at 5:27am at 8lbs 10.5oz and 21 inches long.

 

People tell you how amazing this experience is and it's sort of a given that when you have a kid you're going to love him.  I was never prepared for the intense amount of love I feel for this beautiful blessing.  Seven days later and I still find myself crying daily just because I love him somuch and am so incredibly happy. A few years ago one of my friends had a little boy and her husband wrote this on their blog and it has stuck with me since then. "I am constantly amazed that God has chosen to loan us our kids and entrusted us with pointing them back to him. I am overcome by the great responsibility that God has entrusted with us and I felt honored and thankful that He counts us worthy and promises to give us the strength that we need to get the job done. (Psalm 28:7)

This past week has gone by so fast and I can only hope time slows down for the rest. Here's a look at Maddox Thomas' first week of life.


Maddox with mommy and daddy. Garrett has been more than amazing through out this whole experience. I knew he would be helpful but he has gone above and beyond. He has slept on the floor to be close to me and Maddox, he has calmed my tears when I am frustrated, and he is already an amazing daddy to our little guy. I am so thankful to have him in my life. 

Maddox meeting his grandparents.

Maddox meeting his aunts, uncles, and cousins.

Going home from the hospital

Sunbathing to help with his jaundice.

Maddox's first bath

 

Maddox got to meet a lot of new friends.

Maddox Thomas turned one week old.

39 weeks

Week 39 and I'm still pregnant. :)

I had a good week off from work for Thanksgiving. I'm thankful that I was able to spend some time at home getting things done. (I still haven't quite learned how to stay off my feet.)

At our last appointment I was still 50% effaced and almost a centimeter dialated.  For now the plan is that I will go back next Monday to see if I am dialating anymore. If not, then I'll be admitted to the hospital on Tuesday where they'll give me something to ripen my cervix. Then I'll get something else to basically knock me out so I don't have to deal with the pain. Then on Wednesday I'll be induced. I was a bit frustrated when she told me that I wasn't dialating, especially since a few weeks ago she said she didn't think I'd make it to the 6th. Also, I'm done dealing with the pain in my back.  I have to keep reminding myself that this is beyond my control and Maddox will come when he is ready.

38 weeks

Week 38 started off pretty exciting! We went to spend Saturday at the Whitmire ranch where Tyler proposed to Kendall. We're excited for Maddox to have another awesome aunt!

I still have the pain in my back but after having it there consistently for over a week I'm just getting used to it, but still am ready for it to be gone!

We had another doctor's appointment and I was still about 50% effaced and not dialated. We also interviewed another pediatrician that we ended up choosing.  She comes highly recommended and we really liked her. The office has a separate waiting area for sick children. There's also a separate entrance for newborns so you don't have to be in the waiting room and exposed to the other kiddos germs!

37 weeks

This week has definitely been the most difficult of my pregnancy. Thursday afternoon I got a pain in my lower back. By Friday it had become so intense that walking was extremely painful. I've tried several things to relieve the pain but nothing  has worked.

Sunday Garrett and I were blessed with one more shower from our home group from church. It was another beautiful shower and we are so thankful for each of the individuals who contributed and prayed over us.

Monday I had another doctors appointment. She said there wasn't really anything we can do about the pain and offered to put me on bed rest. I told her I'd rather go to work and if the pain is still as bad after Thanksgiving then I won't go back. I am 50% effaced and the doctor said she didn't think I would make it to the 6th, however she wouldn't give me an idea of when to expect Maddox.

On Thursday I noticed and felt quite a bit of swelling in my ankles. I spent most of the day at work with my feet in a chair. Teaching is definitely not the easiest job to do from a chair. I'm thankful that my class doesn't seem to mind picking up things that I drop and going to get things for me!

I'm praying that next week is easier.

36 weeks

We are officially a month away from the arrival of our sweet boy.  In some ways I am so ready and in others I am not at all close to being ready.  I am totally over being pregnant, waddling around, and being flat out uncomfortable. On the other hand I don't know if I will ever feel totally prepared for Maddox's arrival.

This week has been a very productive one. I was able to take off of work Friday and mom, dad, and Sue came down and helped with more things than you can imagine. I got all of Maddox's clothes washed, we cleaned the entire house probably better than it's been cleaned since we moved in, set up Maddox's room, set up the world's most difficult monitor, and several other house projects.  Maddox's room looks so good! Everything has come together beautifully. Garrett and I are so appreciative of our parents and everything they continue to do for us throughout this process. Again, we are so blessed.

Last week I finished sub plans for when I'm out for maternity leave. This was probably one of my biggest accomplishments since being pregnant. It took months of work and I am so glad that I am finished!

Saturday, after a quick visit with Tyler and Kendall, mom helped me prepare 23 freezer meals for when Maddox comes! Believe it or not, all of this only took 4 hours and around $150! I'm so glad that she was able to come help or else this process would have taken days.

Garrett and I were able to purchase most of things that were left on our registry (which was very few) with gift cards and a few of the things we had to return. We were also able to splurge on a swing that Garrett has wanted for quiet a while. I'm not sure if he is more excited about Maddox arriving soon or this swing. :)

We started our weekly appointments Monday.  I had some kind of bacteria test...obviously I listened really well. Maddox is head down and I am not dialated yet. The process of her checking to see if I was or wasn't was extremely uncomfortable. Upon her checking all I could think was "oh my gosh I'm definitely going to need an epidural."

We also interviewed our first pediatrician.  It's funny how I can google doctors for myself and choose them based on a thing or two I read online but a pediatrician requires an interview.  We have two more interviews the week of Thanksgiving but we really liked this woman so we will see how the other interviews go.