Maxwell is Two Months

The two month mark came so fast! These babies really do grow up right before your eyes. Max has to be patient with a lot of photo shoots because we want to capture every second that we can. Max still wasn't the happiest baby, but he more than makes up for it with his adorable little face! And the older he gets the less he cries and the more easily I figured out how to calm him down and give him what he needs. Around this time I spent a lot of time nursing him and when he was upset we would swaddle him tightly, give him a binky, and go up and down the stairs several times. I would try to do the same movement standing still, but only the stairs would calm him down. I joked that he just wanted his mama to get some exercise... and it worked. But hey- survival! If he wasn't crying I just kept doing those stairs! He still sleeps in our room in the bassinet. He will sleep a good 6 hour stretch when he first goes to bed around 8 pm, then usually I just have to wake up feed him once or twice and we make it to morning- around 6 or 6:30. This little babe has definitely become the center of our little home. We love having him a part of it and already can't remember what life was like before he arrived.

TWO MONTHS

What Maxwell is doing at two months:

-Smiles and coos

-Quiet and attentive to new sounds

-Loves his swing and to stare at the birds. This was a lifesaver at this time and would really help calm him down.

-Likes Mom and Dad

-Exclusively breastfed

I love having a husband who enjoys photography and can capture special moments.

The books behind Max were cut by Jerrick and his dad specifically for the nursery. It turned out great!

Maxwell's Blessing

We had the absolute most special day when Maxwell was blessed. It was so crazy to see Jerrick at the front of the church blessing our baby! Sometimes I don't think the reality has set in that we are really parents. And I am not sure that it really ever will! We had lots of friends and family surrounding us that day. And Max tends to scream a lot these days so the fact that he was quiet and sweet through the blessing was a miracle!

Grandma and Grandpa Robker

Oh I just love those chunky cheeks!

With Grandma and Grandpa Kummer.

We love you Maxwell!

Spontaneous Trips to Utah

Well... we decided Max needs to meet a lot of his family in Utah. I was a little terrified to take such a small babe on a trip. I was finally getting comfortable with our daily routine of never leaving the house haha! But it was good to just get out and do it and Max did pretty good!

He got to meet my paternal grandparents. Gail and Maxine- his namesake! She is such a loving and generous person, and I wanted to name a baby after her. I couldn't wait for Maxwell to meet Maxine.

Outings with my sister. My Solly Baby wrap came in super handy on the trip (and many times when he was tiny). I didn't have to worry about strangers germs quite so much when he was all bundled up and close to me.

Max and his Aunt Kim and Aunt Katy.

We were so happy to meet up with some amazing friends from Houston! They all happened to be living in Utah. Man we love the Anderson's and Peterson's. It was so nice to see them and catch up.

On a drive up the canyon with my mom, Kim, and the twins.

We also spent some time with Jerrick's family. They had a HUGE homemade slip n slide. It was so fun to watch the kids having a blast. It really tired out Max too...

He fell asleep in the bath! Haha we were dying when this happened. I love my chubby baby so much.

Ryder is such a good dog. A perfect companion to watch over Max. He is making sure the baby is safe... or keeping his eye on him to make sure he doesn't get out of line. Lots of love for all the boys in my car on the roadtrip!

Maxwell's Nursery

I had so much fun decorating Maxwell's Nursery! It was fun planning the space while waiting for his arrival. I painted the world map, and my mom made all of the bedding. I don't know how much Max will appreciate it, but I love how it turned out. The photos were taken when we did the newborn shoot, by Meg Ruth Photo.

I used paper mache and made the hot air balloons. Jerrick helped! In my head it was going to be a super fun project to work on together... it was a lot harder than my 3rd grade mind remembered. But after a lot of work they turned out okay.

My mom made some plush blocks that coordinate with the quilt she made. I love his bedding! She also made the banner over the window.

Perfect space for my little babe to grow into an adventurer!

Maxwell is One Month

Soooo I didn't get the typical sweet snugly new born. He was pretty much the opposite. He mostly screamed if he wasn't sleeping. He would take about 20 min to nurse on one side, then we would change his diaper. Then he would nurse on the other side. Then he would sleep for about a half hour. Then he would wake up and scream and I would try and hold him off for as long as possible before starting the whole routine over. I would basically do that around the clock. I would just do this routine ten times a day! The times when he would sleep I would just hold him and enjoy how precious the sweet newborns are. Other than that, it was a little bit of a stressful transition to parenthood for our little family. I learned a lot of patience through that time period! He spent a lot of time nursing and being held. We used our wrap around the house quite a bit!

ONE MONTH

These are some of the things Max was doing at one month:
-Wakes up in the morning grunting over and over
-Tracks objects
-Looks to see source of sound
-Likes to be swaddled tightly
-Exclusively breastfed

Newborn Photo Shoot

The amazingly talented Meg Ruth Photo took newborn photos for our little family. This was literally the first time ever that Max was a squishy, sleepy, sweet newborn not screaming! It was a dream come true. I will cherish these photos so much.

Maxwell's Birth

Well- we had a baby! I have been terrible at blogging since then. Buuuut I really think this is a great way to keep all of my notes and pictures together. This is mostly selfish posts for myself to look back on. So bear with me I am going to work through posts of Maxwell monthly. Starting with his BIRTH! I want to share some of my journal about that day...

My due date was July 5, 2014. My doctor really wanted me to have a fourth of July baby and actually called my on the 4th to see if I was going to have a baby. I was scared through and didn't want to have the babe before my due date. Then the 5th and 6th went by (Saturday and Sunday) and by Monday I was ready for the arrival of my sweet boy! I had planned my first day of maternity leave to be the 7th and I didn't want to waste those three months without my little man. I went into the doctor's office that morning and she said it was time and sent me to the hospital. They broke my water and I walked around quite a bit to get things going. When it was too painful to walk around and I was at a 6 I got an epidural. I loved it so much! The most perfect anesthetic ever! I had no pain but could feel the whole time. An hour or two later I was ready! The doc came about an hour after that and Max was so ready to come! Three pushes was all it took to get that baby out. (It definitely helped that his head was the 5th percentile!!!) We were so thrilled to have this little sweetie in our lives.

MAXWELL GRANT ROBKER

07/07/14

10:22pm 8lbs 0 oz 20 1/2 inches

I am so in love and grateful for this video Jerrick made using photos all throughout pregnancy and the birth. We may have had some frustrations (with my lack of cooperation) along the way but now it makes me cry every time I see it!