Maxim's First Christmas

Merry Christmas Max!

Today was Max's first Christmas. He woke up at 7 am and was ready to start the day. I fed him a bottle and then we went straight for some presents! He got 5 new cloth diapers! He was very excited about them. He got a "math geek" diaper, it is covered in math equations. He also got a dinosaur diaper, robot and more! He also got many books, we hope he enjoys reading. He also got a neat Story Buddy from Hallmark. Watson is a stuffed raccoon and responds to certain parts of the stories as you read them.



This was an awesome Christmas. Max was very happy all day long. We played on the floor for a long time. He seemed to enjoy his new rubber ducks the most.



For dinner we had Lamb, carrot souffle and biscuits. And for dessert a chocolate pecan pie.

It was a good Christmas, could only have been better if we lived closer to family. Well and if it was a little colder with snow. Christmas in Hawaii, feels a little funny.

1 week since the hospital visit

Just thought I should update everyone on Max. Since leaving the hospital he has gained weight and is exceeding the doctors expectations! Good job lil buddy! Everything is going well and we are happy to be home again. He is happy and thriving, not that he was ever unhappy. He is such a happy little guy all the time and we love him so much.

Rough Week

Everyone knows that Maxim is a little guy, but he is my son...and I can't gain weight even if I try. So maybe he just has my metabolism. At Max's 2 month appointment he had gained weight and was doing great! Then at 4 months he hadn't gained weight and the doctor was concerned so he recommended starting rice cereal sooner, we had planned on waiting until 6 months. So then 2 weeks later he had a check up with this same doctor, who forgot that this was a follow up appointment and hadn't remembered the first appointment. And he said well he gained a little weight so he is fine.

Now he is 6 months old and last friday he had his 6 month appointment, with a new doctor because we didn't like this last doctor. This doctor told Alexandra that she was starving Maxim and made her feel horrible. Also she wanted to see him again on Monday and over the weekend instructed us to bottle feed him with pumped breast milk. This was very upsetting. Alexandra started out following the doctors instructions, but then called a Lactation Consultant. They recommended continuing to nurse him because he will get more milk that way, he is more efficient than the pump. So we did that through the weekend, feeding more frequently and feeding more solids.

On Monday I went to the appointment with Maxim and Alexandra. Max had gained a little bit of weight over that 3 days so we thought that was pretty good. But then this doctor started basically flipping out. She tried to explain to me how the pump will produce more milk. I argued that for one baby's are more efficient at getting the milk our than a pump, but even if we assume the pump and baby get the same amount of milk he will not be getting anymore nourishment, which is what we want. X ounces of milk from the breast = X ounces of milk from a bottle. She left and a nurse came in explaining their concern and that they are calling the hospital to schedule us to see a lactation consultant and another pediatrician. Then said they may have to get Child Protective Services involved because when a child is in danger and the parents won't do anything to help they have to intervene, and she said in this case the parents only want to breast feed and that is not enough for this child. I was like WHOA lady, hold on! We want to help him, we want to do whatever we have to so he is healthier. We don't want to follow your advice of exclusively pumping because it doesn't give Max any more food than before! She told me I seem like an intelligent person and she wanted to explain this scientifically and explained how the breast lets down milk, and I still said yes I agree but he needs more milk, not the same amount by a different means. They ended up sending us to TAMC (Trippler Army Medical Center) and told us we had 30 min to get there or they would be calling the Command. I don't know what command they were going to call, but we went straight there, expecting them to be ready to see us like an emergency visit. But no, we were treated as a walk in...and they didn't even know we were there to see both a lactation consultant and a pediatrician.

So the pediatrician decided to admit Maxim to the hospital Pediatrics Ward. A couple of nurses were then going to put an IV in his arm and asked if we wanted to step out. We said NO! Then they asked for our help in holding him for the IV because he is a strong son of a gun. I was like, yep, purely a sign of a malnourished child. They also commented on how alert and happy he is, again how can he be starved???

So anyways, they drew blood, took a urine sample, gave him an X-Ray, and a sweat test. He had a little bit of an iron deficiency and some liver enzymes were high, nothing critical. The doctors were pretty much baffled. Basically it came down to Alexandra's milk supply very slowly decreasing, which allowed Max to slowly adjust to less and less food and never complained. So then he was gaining less and less weight and then lost a little. We believe the lowering milk supply is due to Alexandra being pregnant and the conflict of breastfeeding a 6 month old and her body preparing to breast feed a newborn. Oh yea, so in case you didn't know Max is going to be a big brother.

We spent the night Monday-Wednesday and then on Thursday Thanksgiving they were finally satisfied with Max's eating habits and weight gain and we went home around noon. We had a frozen pizza for Thanksgiving lunch and then a friend brought over some of their Turkey and fixings! We are happy to be home and so is Max, he is doing very well on the formula and eating like crazy! We are so happy that everything is okay! He means the world to us, we love him so much!

Guest Blogging

I entered a blog to The Cloth Diaper Whisperer's blog and they published it to their blog. It is called Cloth Diapering From a Guy's Perspective. If you are interested here's a link! Cloth Diapering From A Guy's Perspective

http://www.theclothdiaperwhisperer.com/2011/11/cloth-diapering-from-guys-perspective.html

How do they do it?

Max is always pretty good in church. Sometimes like today he will get tired so I'll stand up in the back and rock him in my arms and he fell asleep pretty quickly. Then we go back and sit down next to mom. He is so cute and peaceful when he sleeps. Looking down at him sleeping peacefully in my arms I know I need to treasure this moment and all moments with him and Alexandra. As deployment draws nearer I wonder what it is going to be like to come back to a son over one years old, will he have any idea who I am? Will he cry when I pick him up? How long will it take to reestablish the father and son bond? And then I think how do people do this for so long? How do people do this military thing with families at home. Some of them are probably just less "crazy" about their families so it isn't as hard for them, but that's gotta be a minority. Just looking around church I saw many military families and they look happy and close and loving. I recognized a Commander and didn't know he had 3 kids and he looked very happy and loving with his family. How did he do it, so many years of military service, many deployments, I don't understand how they do it. I don't think I could do it. I don't have a choice right now, I have to, but I couldn't reenlist again knowing I am volunteering to leave Max and his potential sibling(s) and Alexandra at home for long lengths of time, or even short lengths of time. I am not looking forward to this deployment, and I am never going to be ready for it.

First Foods

Back in September Max went for his 4 month check up. We found out he was 10.5lbs and 24.5". This meant he only gained 8oz in 2 months and grew 2". We were told to start rice cereal which I was really upset about because I was really set on waiting on foods until 6 months. He also hated rice cereal so I made oatmeal and he liked that slightly better. We went for a weight check 2 weeks later and he was about 11lbs so that was good. We also got approval to start fruits and veggies. So far we have tried carrots, green beans and peas. Carrots are by far the favorite. We have pears and avocados in the freezer so we'll see how he likes those. Because of this his poop has changed so I now put liners in his diapers until Matthew comes home and installs the diaper sprayer. The hose on the toilet is too tight for me to install it myself.

Now to my annoyed part of all this. I was never really thrilled with his pediatrician but when we went for his weight check it sealed the deal we are never seeing him again. He acted like this was his 4month appointment and had no idea about Max and what was going on. He told me to start him on rice cereal which he had told me to do 2 weeks prior. He also randomly told me carriers prevent crawling when I had already mentioned he had started to army crawl occasionally. I also had never heard that. So now I'm trying to make his 6 month appointment and am going to get someone new.

I can Help!

I am glad I finally figured out a way to really help. I used to be the diaper changer. Max would wake up for midnight feedings and I would jump up and change his diaper! Then hand him off to mommy for a feeding. Then we started doing a double stuffed diaper for bedtime so no more midnight diaper changes, just feedings. So I felt useless and Alex was tired all the time and I wanted to let her sleep, I am the highly trained sailor when it comes to getting woken up and little sleep (racked out). Then I decided, if we have breast milk pumped and on standby I can jump up and feed my lil guy and let Alex sleep a good nights rest. I am so happy to feel useful again, even if it is only 1 night a week. It is better than none!

I Love My Family

I love my family so much! Alexandra and Max make everyday a good day. I missed them so much when I was gone and I don't look forward to leaving again. Max advanced quite a bit while I was gone. He just seems like such a big boy now. I am not looking forward to deployment, I will leave and come back to a completely new phase in Max's life. But I love him and I know that it will be fine. Max and I enjoy wearing Matching outfits, right now we have 2:

My shirt says Hardcore Daddy with a pic of a motorcycle and his says Hardcore baby with a pic of a tricycle. The other one is shaved ice, from New Orleans, LA.

We bought Max a new toy and he loves it!

He's Home!

Monday Matthew came home. He was gone basically a month. This was the first time he has left us since Maxim was born. I know it was hard on both of us but we got through it. I knew Max had grown and changed and had more skills since Matthew left but you forget everything. Simple things Matthew would notice.
Before he left Max could roll over and everything but now he'll roll to his stomach and stay awhile without crying and scoot around and then roll to his back and so on. Matthew was very impressed. Also Max can be left on his play mat and entertain himself. I had forgotten that before Matthew left Max was happy if you were actively playing with him or holding him. I think the biggest thing is Max is now on a routine. It used to be that even if Max had completely fallen asleep in your arms as soon as he was put down he would wake up. Now we have the routine of he wakes, feeds, diaper change then plays for about 90 minutes gets swaddled falls asleep for at least 30 minutes and then it all starts again. The biggest improvement is even if his eyes pop open in your arms while you are transfering to the crib or once you lay him down he goes back to sleeping without a whimper. Sadly, he still hasn't slept 7-8hrs since July but when it now only takes 15 minutes to get back to bed when he wakes in the middle of the night it's not bad. Maybe in a few weeks we will try to get him to sleep 7-8hrs again or maybe he'll start doing it soon. Right now the longest stretch is about 5hrs at night.
I am so glad for Matthew to be back it is a huge help. I had missed him so much.
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Maxim's Trip to California

We arrived in California on Wednesday morning. Flew first class. We thought all of the first class fliers would complain about the baby. But most of them didn't even know he was there. He slept the entire time, just fed during takeoff and landing.

We used the roadrunner shuttle service to get from and to the airport in California. After arriving at Great Grandpa Tony's and Lyla's they played with Max for a little bit and then we all took a nap. We had lunch at the IHop and then we had dinner at the famous Alamo. I had some delicious Enchiladas!





We left California the next day to fly to Minnesota. It was wonderful meeting Great Grandpa Tony and Lyla. We all hope to see them again some day!

Cloth Diapering

So Max is over a week old now, and we have been cloth diapering him from the start. I think we made the right choice, not only does it save us money, but he just looks so much cuter in the cloth diapers vice disposable. Also no diaper rash, and no soggy diaper smell. If anyone has questions about cloth diapering feel free to comment below this post.

As of right now we don't quite have enough to get through 2 days, so we wash them every evening. It isn't difficult at all, we have noticed a little bit of staining on a couple of the diapers so we are just going to leave them to dry in the sun and that does a good job of bleaching out the stain.

Isn't he cute?

Baking Brownies!

I found a Guinness Stout brownie recipe, so of course I had to put on my apron and bake!
They turned out to be delicious! Very fudgy, so good the neighbors went out the following day to pick up the ingredients and make their own batch.
I could write more, but I think the above picture speaks for itself, yep I am awesome!

Finally Home

We've been home with little Maxim for 5 days now. We have gone on some adventures to the grocery store and various places on base to get him all set up on healthcare. The first adventure took awhile to get ready, but we are getting better and better at it. The hardest part is actually remembering to take care of ourselves, brushing teeth more often than just at night, putting on deodorant, etc. All we want to do is take care of this little one. Alexandra is amazed that I actually put him down on the floor, swing, and bouncer. I said its because unlike the neighbors kids who I hold constantly when we are visiting, here I actually have other responsibilities to take care of, otherwise I wouldn't put him down...except when it is time to sleep.

Yesterday we thought he was about to have an instantaneous cryig fit, but it turned out to be a big giggle and smile in his sleep. He is so cute! We love him so much!
And I think he is RAD!

In The Hospital

After the delivery we were moved to the recovery room. We were required to stay a minimum of 36 hours in the hospital because this was our first child. We got to the recovery room around 4:30 AM Friday and settled in. Maxim ate and then he and momma both went to sleep. I made my chair bed and was going to goto sleep...I laid down but then Maxim made a sound so I got up to check. He was fine of course just making his cute little baby noises. Then I laid back down but thought I should check on him again...I started to goto sleep and woke up to a him making a tiny lil sound, not crying just a quiet little sound. I was super paranoid...maybe he's chilly, I should wrap his swaddling better. I fell asleep again and 5 min later someone came in collecting the trash, then the nurse came in to check vitals. Never ending. So I finally got a couple hour nap around 10 AM and then again stayed awake until 4AM because the poor little guy had the hiccups.

We also dressed him in some of his own clothes to make him more comfy while in the hospital.





When we were discharged from the hospital we went home and went straight to sleeping!

Water Broke!

Alexandra's water broke on Thursday evening, we got to the hospital around 5:30 PM. So her water broke but it was a slow "leak" and she still had no pain. So when we got to the hospital the nurses were kind of like...nahh your water didn't break. Asked about pain and she would say no, as she continues to leak amniotic fluid. The nurse had to use a paper test to confirm it was amniotic fluid. She was then admitted to Labor and Delivery. Still no pain, so we decided might as well play a game while we wait for lil Maxim.

So then Alexandra was placed on Pitosin to helo bring the contractions on harder and closer together. By 11:30 PM she was ready to deliver, they had us wait another hour to allow Maxim's head to get into position. So around 12:40 AM she started pushing and at 1:25 AM we welcomed Maxim Antonio into the world! Weighing in at 7lbs 5.7oz. He is adorable and we love him with all our hearts! And he knows it!!!

I Hope He is Ready Soon

Tonight we attended the breastfeeding class. One of the better classes we have been to. A lot of information, even though it was 2 hours long we were glad we went. At the 1 hour mark the speaker sent us out for a 15 min break, we were shocked it was going to be such a long class. By the time it was over we were starved since the class started at 5. We had to stop at Ruby Tuesdays on way home instead of go home and cook.

This class was the last thing we for sure wanted to do before baby arrived. Now that it is over we are ready for baby to come! Very excited! We visited a couple who is friends of ours tonight and they had their baby girl on Friday, she is adorable!

So Max and I have been having talks lately. They are sort of 1 sided conversations, but I know he can hear me. I let him know that after this class he is more than welcome to come out and join us! I also explained how he can figure out when a day has passed...I said so right now you live in this round pool, and all day long the pool is moving about as his mommy moves about and then at night when the day is over his little pool will become calm for long periods. Then when the pools stirs a lot, it is a new day! I like to think he is listening and happy to hear my voice. I can feel him move about when I talk to him and touch her belly. When I rub the belly he jumps about. And I love feeling him move after meals, because he has what I call "partys". After meals I am always asking is he having his party yet?

We are so excited for Max to join us. We are both so happy to have this blessing in our lives and I am especially happy to be home to witness and enjoy his birth, and to help and support Alexandra through it all. This is a very exciting time and we know he will come when he is ready. Hopefully he is ready soon.

When the day does come, there will be text/phone call updates and facebook updates pretty quickly. But the blog will be updated within a few days after the birth.

God Bless

Easter Sunday 2011

Our Easter Sunday started with Hot Cross buns in bed, I had never had one before, I enjoyed it. Then we went to church at Pearl Harbor Memorial Chapel. After Church we actually went to the outlets to pick up some new running shoes (needed them for Tuesday, and Monday night we had a virtual baby shower planned) Then we headed home to fire up the grill, I grilled pork chops with a Caribbean jerk marinade. Then we went over to a friends house for an Easter Egg hunt and socializing. Unfortunatley it was mostly sailor wives since all the husbands are at sea. I'm in port along with 2 guys that are on their way out of the Navy and another one transferring to shore duty. To finish our wonderful first Easter together we went to the neighbors to play some Yahtzee!!!!

What we have been up to...

So Alexandra is finishing up her semester. She was observed teaching and did an excellent job. She got stuck with teaching a longer than usual class period and still did a wonderful job.

I finished up Opearational Water Chemistry Class last week. It is basically advanced Reactor Plant Chemistry, and Radiological controls. On Monday I started Machine Tool Operator class. This one is 3 weeks long. I am learning how to use a machine lathe to machine parts. It is weird being in a class that's information isn't classified and I can bring my books home, and use my phone in and around the classroom.

Last weekend we dyed eggs. Pictures below:

Matthew is Home

So on Monday morning the boat got underway and left Matthew behind. Looks like he will be home for Max's birth. Right now he is going to school to study up on more nuclear chemistry stuff for his job. We are so excited to have all this time together and be home for the birth.

And being home and not working all the time I am able to enjoy breakfast on the Lanai!

Beach Today

Today we went to Waikiki
to walk around the art fest and go for a swim.
This was Max's first swim (kinda)
Can't wait to take him for real.

Enjoy the pics.

Baby Bump

Everyone has been asking for baby bump pics and for the baby's room decorations so here they are.

Ultra Sound Photos

Here's some pics from the ultra sound: