First Bath

First {somewhat} submerged bath after losing most of his umbilical cord. 

Not loving it!

2 weeks old

Fresh and clean + big brother looking on 

Bathing is apparently a family affair

:: and one that is well documented ... at least the first time! 

 Still not happy 

{and evidence of round 1 of thrush}

Faces of Anderson

Newly Born

You know those adorable sleepy, posed newborn pictures?

Apparently my newborn didn't want to play nice

... or sleep ... or get his picture taken.

But my sweet, talented friend did capture these 

{during an impromptu photoshoot when she graciously 

delivered a delicious dinner when Anderson was 11-ish days old?!}

that make me smile. And laugh.

This.was.awesome.

Anderson and Xander :: Battle Cry

Our Little Hunk

It's hard work being a little hunk!

12 Days Old :: First Smile Captured on Camera

Alekzander's Take on our New World

Alekzander has always been a smart, perceptive, and sensitive little guy.  His understanding and response to Anderson coming home has been phenomenal. There are definite 'attention seeking' behaviors mixed in with all of the hugs and kisses he shares, but we choose to praise the positive behaviors ... and eventually we will be able to laugh at the somewhat naughty expressions of his 3.5 year old emotional self!  

He absorbs and processes everything.  He clearly remembers that we were supposed to have a family date night with Mia when my water broke.  He was so sad that it couldn't happen and started crying as soon as we got back in the car.  Andrew dropped my mom and I off at home and took Alekzander back to the restaurant to order food so that we could all still eat the promised dinner{neither of us knowing the urgency of the  situation - or foreseeing the fact that Anderson would be delivered a mere 2 hours after my water broke ... with no signs of pain or contractions all day!}  Once they {finally} got back home with the food, Alekzander sent us off on our merry way with no tears or concerns - just excited that he'd get to meet his brother the next day at the "hopsitle" and happy to have a sleepover with Mia.  

You'd think the details of that night would fade quickly ... but he rehashed the event and revealed his understanding of it about a week later.  After I overfilled my water bottle and spilled water all over the floor, Andrew told me, "It's ok, Problems Happen"  :: stealing one of Alekzander's favorite lines. Alekzander responded, "Yeah Mommy, remember when we were going to eat dinner with Mia and your water bottle broke and you said, 'Uh oh, I think Anderson is coming now!'"  He then went on to inspect my water bottle for cracks and claimed he found the break.

Already, he is taking his new role so seriously; he is such a good, attentive, and proud big brother. 

Whenever Anderson cries - or even makes a noise, Alekzander says,

"Oh no, here we go again.

Mommy, go feed Anderson.

Daddy, go check on Anderson."

"Tell him what's the matter?"

 He is so proud to tell our visitors - even my sister - "Do you know who is upstairs sleeping?" or "We have a new baby! Anderson!" And then he proceeds to drag the guest by the hand up the stairs or over to the crib/play pen downstairs.

He also admitted, "Every morning of every day I sneak into Anderson's room when I wake up to check on him and to say, Good morning."

One of the things we prepared him for was the fact that both Mommy and Daddy wouldn't always be able to tuck him in at night together.  This was going to be a tough transition for me because I love those quiet, reflective moments at the end of the day.  Each night, we all read books together and then pick out our favorite star and then say the one to five favorite parts of our day.  The other night, Andrew was helping Anderson calm down, so I laid with Alekzander for a few minutes after our normal bedtime routine/conversations.  I have no I idea where this came from, but he told me that he wanted a bigger family. {I was surprised because I half expected him to tell us to put Anderson back in my belly!} I asked if he meant more humans or more animals. Initially he didn't care, but then he decided that he wanted Kaila back.  I explained that she has a new family so that wasn't possible, so he said, "No, I want another cat.."  And I shot down that idea too ... and then almost in tears, "I know what we don't have. A goldfish.  I would name him Ado."  I asked if he'd feed the goldfish fish food or numbers {because of a math game on the iPad}.  His first answer was numbers, but then he asked where we could buy fish food and if we could take our goldfish with us to the store...  

Such a silly boy - working through his thoughts ... processing the biggest change of his life ... and reflecting on our new world and his new role.

He does certainly love his new brother ... and thankfully {and maybe a little surprisingly} still loves me too in spite of my exhaustion, lack of one-on-one time, and "mean words" spoken out of impatience and crazy {absolutely crazy} hormonal, emotional swings.

Discovering Anderson

Day 5 Discoveries ::  

Anderson much prefers to sleep on his side than flat on his back.  

He will only sleep if there is a light on and noise in the background!

He is a rockstar and only cries when he is hungry - 

or if feeding time is interrupted by a diaper change complete 

with urine arching into/onto his eyes and face.  

First sponge bath at home {immediately following the pee incident} was equally traumatic/dramatic with red-faced dinosaur-like crying and screaming.  

{Alekzander slept through it all!}

He sleeps 3 hour stretches at night and has to be woken up to eat!

We are quite in love!

An Early Appearance

 Making an early appearance, our sweet Anderson Maddox 

was born on Monday, July 15, 2013.

Weight:  6 pounds + 14 ounces

Length: 20.5 inches

Sweet boy must have thought he needed a head start 

to keep up with his big brother and daddy...  

attempting to come foot first, he was delivered via c-section 

a quick two hours after interrupting the start of a family date night!  

After our initial shock, we were overwhelmed by a calming peace,

especially since we were in the hands of some really incredible people 

:: from triage at 8:18 PM to the OR at 8:46 PM to recovery after 9:12 PM ::

We were well taken care of ... and Anderson stole our hearts immediately. 

CW Parade 2013

Something we look forward to every year :: the CW 4th of July parade.  

Pre-kids, we would sit and have breakfast in our neighbor's driveway and watch all the red, white, and blue clad children chase after the firetruck, but now that we all have {multiple} children, we are part of the craziness.

Nine months pregnant and threatening rain clouds couldn't stop us 

from taking part in this annual tradition.

The firemen leading the parade suggested to Andrew {parade 'director'} 

that he cut the parade route short because of the weather 

and all the pregnant people in our neighborhood... 

he was sure to tell them I was one of the pregos and altered the route for all of us.

I jokingly asked the firemen for a ride, 

but we only walked a little over 1/2 mile instead of the normal 1 mile... 

Keeping up with my crazy boy has me well trained!

You're Gonna Miss This

But you're gonna miss this  

You're gonna want this back  

You're gonna wish these days  

Hadn't gone by so fast

 
These are some good times 

So take a good look around  

You may not know it now  

But you're gonna miss this
 

You're gonna miss this  

Yeah, you're gonna miss this...

{Trace Adkins} 

These words have been running through my head for the last three days...

and I know I am going to miss these days.  

The crazy-hard ones.

The busy ones.

The simple ones.

It has been an exhausting few weeks ...

:: with anxiety building over major life change.

:: with a 3.5 year old pressing buttons, skipping naps, asking a million questions.

:: with a lack of motivation {and energy} to tackle "must do" tasks.

:: with emotional stress turning into physical aches and pains.

:: with preparing our hearts and home for a new little life.

But it has also been a fun few weeks ...

:: Discovery Place Kids with some of our favorites ... chasing around two 

curious and energetic 3 year olds.

:: Family pool time ... watching our little man leap, flop, fly off the edge 

{and learn to close his mouth upon landing}, 

witnessing his blow fish cheeks and chlorine-shot eyes

as he bravely puts his face in the water.

:: Lunches with friends ... though chaotic with choppy, unfinished conversations.

:: Late summer nights ... running through the sprinkler,

playing at the splash park, listening to live music.

:: Celebrating Anderson ... with amazing, Godly women; supportive,

loving co-workers; and precious, sweet friends.

And even more so, it has been a simple few weeks ...

:: having "jammah" days and making waffles and pancakes together.
:: doing workbook pages and crafting.

:: snuggling in bed long after the alarm goes off in the morning and long after 

the last bedtime story has been read at night ... 

feeling kicks and flips - identifyinsg body parts,

answering "What are your 5 favorite parts of your day?", 

listening to Daddy and Alekzander talk to my belly.

:: eating delicious tomato and basil sandwiches and tons of fresh blueberries.

:: napping on gray, rainy afternoons ... 

Without a doubt, I am going to miss these days.

Especially waking up at 7 a.m. to my sweet big-little boy 

whose brain and mouth move a mile a minute...

who showers me with stuffed animals and a pile of books ...

who asks about Anderson and mammals and the daily breakfast menu ...

who has a great plan for right.this.second... for today... for life!

...And who comes up with things like this ::

Yesterday morning, Anderson was flipping and moving and 

we were trying to identify body parts. 

A big lump/circular shape rolled by and I said that 

it was probably Anderson's head or bum. 

Alekzander asked, "Well where is the other one?" 

I thought he meant the other body part 

(if it was the head, then where is the bummy?), 

but he said, "No, where is the other part of his bummy?"  

He pulled down his pants, showed me his bare bum, and said, 

"See, mine has two circles. Anderson's only has one." 

 Oh sweet cheeks... thanks for the laugh!

 I know things will change in just 4 short weeks,

so I do cherish these moments ...

the crazy-hard ones,

the exhausting, busy ones,

the sweet, simple ones ...

with my precious family of three.

 

{Photos by Laura Wilson of Photo374 :: Fort Mill, SC :: June 12, 2013}