Week in Review

It has been a really great week. I can't believe how fast my little boy is growing. Monday was his one month birthday. He is looking more and more like Nic every day. I love this picture of Nic and Max watching TV together. Max looks like mini-Nic.

This week Max started to really smile at people. The very first time I was sure he was smiling in response to someone was Thursday. I had my postpartum appointment (early for some odd reason), and the midwife walked in and talked to Max and he gave her the biggest smile. Then later during the appointment he smiled at me. It totally melted my heart!

He's been smiling more and more every day since. It was good practice for charming his visitors that attended his baby blessing on Sunday. My parents, my sister and her family, and my uncle and his grandkids all came out for the blessing. Nic gave a really beautiful blessing, and he didn't even sound nervous.

After sacrament meeting we came back to my house for a little bit of brunch. Somehow, I decided on having breakfast casseroles. I don't know why; I don't think I've ever had a breakfast casserole before. Mom mom and I each made one and they were delicious!

My mom made this one, which is like all of your yummy breakfast foods in one pan. I think my mom added bacon, and you can't go wrong with bacon!

http://www.bbonline.com/recipe/casseroles-breakfast.html

I made this one, which is probably the most unhealthy food you could possibly eat. But it was super delicious. It comes out kind of like a savory french toast.

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/05/sleepin-in-omlette/

Mmmm...

We all had a great time visiting, and the kids had fun playing games. They even had a lively croquet match in the back yard.

The week ended with Nic having the sweetest daddy moment. Max was sitting in his little bouncy seat, and Nic was sticking his tongue out at him. Max thought for a minute and then gave Nic the biggest smile and stuck his tongue out, too. I don't know which was cuter, Max's smile or Nic's reaction. :)

Thankful Thursday

1) I am so thankful that The Office is back on tonight! I love this show.




2) Naps!
I love to sleep, and Max and I took a really killer nap this afternoon. I am feeling so refreshed, so I will totally be able to enjoy #1.


3) Chocolate Chip Cookies.
They may not be helping my waistline, but they sure do contribute to my sense of well being.

With the combination of these three things, it is shaping up to be a terrific day.

Week in Review

The high point of the past week was definitely my talented friend Rachel coming over to take photos of Max. These are just a few of my favorites. The pictures turned out so great! You can see more of her work at http://www.rachelkirkphotography.com/.

We had a fun family date on Friday night. We tried a new restaurant in Corona called Twisted Gourmet. We were standing outside trying to decide if it looked family friendly enough to take Max. We finally decided that we'd give it a try, and when we got in the restaurant there were probably more kids than adults, but it is still a very nice setting. They mostly have pizzas with unusual ingredients. We tried a pizza with dried cranberries, Gorgonzola cheese, and chicken. It was good, but the best thing was dessert! I got a regular chocolate chip cookie, but Nic ordered the peanut butter cookie. When the waitress first brought the cookies to the table, Nic thought he'd been cheated. His cookie was about a third of the size of my cookie, but after his first bite he was convinced that he got the better deal. His was a chocolate cookie filled with yummy peanut butter. I don't know how they do it. It's like a peanut butter cup cookie!

We also got to spend some more time with Nic's grandma this week, which is always a pleasure. She and Nic's dad came out for a visit on Saturday, and on Tuesday they came out to babysit Max while I went to the dentist.

The low point of the week was probably going to the dentist. I have a few cavities. :( So, now I have to go back. That's what I get for putting off going to the dentist!

Book Review: The Hiding Place

This is such amazing and inspiring true story about a woman and her family that were the part of an underground organization in Holland during World War II to help protect the Jews from the Nazi's. She was caught and sent to the concentration camps as a political prisioner. Though this book sounds like it would be quite depressing, Corrie ten Boom focuses so much on all of the good people that helped their cause and all of the small miracles that occured that you walk away feeling completely amazed. This family's faith, endurance, and dedication to helping others is awe inspiring. I definitely recommend this book.

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful for:


1) Libraries
Corona has an awesome library! I'd been just buying books I wanted to read. We have shelves and shelves full of books we are never going to read again!
It is so great to be able to just borrow any book. It is amazing that this is a free service. We take so much for granted.
You know what's even better? The library is only two blocks from my house. The walk is a perfect little outing for Max and I.



2) Food
While, I am thankful for all food, I'm especially thankful for food that I don't have to prepare. I had no idea how great it would be to have meals brought in after Max was born. When you have meals brought in, not only do you not have to prepare the food, you don't have to shop for it either. It was such a life saver! I am so grateful for the wonderful ladies from church, my mom, and Nic's dad for bringing me wonderful meals. They were so much better than anything I ever cook!
I'm lucky enough that even a month later, I'm still getting food prepared by Nic's dad. I am looking forward to a delicious frittata for dinner tonight. YUM!



3) Photobucket.com
I love being able to find images of almost anything and then have the HTML codes all ready to go. It makes blogging so much easier!

Book Review: Marley and Me

I would have never thought to read this book if my sister hadn't recommended it to me. I love dogs. In fact, I would call myself a dog lover, but I still think of them as just dogs. I wasn't sure I would want to read a memoir of someone's dog. But, from the get go, I totally related to the characters in Marley and Me. The book starts with them as newlyweds in a new house with finally enough space to get a dog. The dog they get turns out to be what they think may be the worst dog ever.

Oh how clearly I remember my longing for a puppy. As soon as we put in an offer on a house, I was on the search for a puppy. Nic, who is not as fond of dogs, didn't understand, but he did know that he didn't want dog hair all over. So, I went about finding a dog that didn't shed. After much research, I decided that a Labradoodle would be just the right dog for me. We found a breeder way out in Lucerne Valley. Penny was the last one left of her litter. Maybe that should have clued us in, but she was so darn cute. When we got her home, we realized how high maintenance she was. She loved people...maybe a little too much. If Penny was left alone she wouldn't just whine, she would SCREAM. Her screaming was just the tip of the iceberg, but I love that little puppy!

Life has gotten much better for Penny since we decided to keep her and her best bud, Riley, together. My parents were suckered into taking Riley when he found himself without a home. He is such a sweet Lab, but he comes along with an insane amount of energy and some obsessive compulsive behavior.

Between these two dogs, I feel like I've experienced everything that Marley's owners did

(and more!). But, in the end, I think I'm more of a dog lover than ever. Right now, they are at my parents' house while we get used having Max at home. I can't wait to see them again!

I didn't even mean to start a post about my pets, but I think that anyone who reads Marley and Me will get to thinking about the special relationship that we can have with animals. Marley and Me will absolutley make you laugh and probably also make you cry. It reminds you of how much of life happens around your pets. In sum, I found it delightful!

Week in Review

Here I am in the wee hours of the morning. Max us wide awake, so I figured I would use this time to review our week.
Max and I didn't really do much. It is much harder to get out than I expected. With feedings every two to three hours, as soon as I finish feeding Max it is almost time to feed him again. Other than a couple very brief trips to the store and library, Max and I were pretty much shut-ins.
We did make it to church last Sunday (all three hours!), and everyone had a chance to look at our little cutie.
It was a busy week for Nic at work. Several days this week he had to be at work at 4 am!
On Monday evening, Nic's dad came out for a visit. He really loves to hold Max, so he held Max and kept Nic company as Nic painted the crown moulding for the bathroom. Nic's dad had just left our house when he was hit by a drunk driver on Grand Blvd. Luckily, Dale was unharmed, but his truck was totaled.
On Tuesday, our handyman, Dave, came out to install the crown moulding. I'm not sure how I feel about it yet. Our ceilings in the bathroom are really crooked, so he had to make lots of minor adjustments. I think it will all look better when it is caulked.
On Friday, we had a family date to Marie Calendar's. We hadn't ever taken Max to a restaurant, so we were clueless when it came to highchairs, etc. The hostess helped us out, and Max got to sit right up at the table with us. He was awake the whole time, and was very well behaved. After dinner, we had pie. I ordered the pumpkin pie, which was an unusual choice for me, but it was one of the most heavenly things I have ever tasted. I will definitely order it again some time!
Yesterday, Nic took Max to sacrament meeting. I had been up all night with Max, and I was just too exhausted to go. But with Max out of the house, safely at church with Nic, I slept like a baby! I think I haven't been sleeping well (even with the little sleep I get) because I'm always half way listening for Max.
Then, in our first longer outing away from home, we went to Nic's dad's house for dinner. Nic's grandma is in from New Mexico, and she, of course, wanted to meet her first great grandchild. It was a very nice visit. Max slept basically the whole time, which made it easy to have him around. He is such a good baby!
Otherwise, we just had normal, every day fun during the week. Above is my favorite picture from this week. Nic got down into Max's little baby gym, and Max is totally looking at him like he was crazy!

Max's Birth- Sara's Version

I had been waiting (very impatiently) for this day to come. At my 37 week appointment, I was 2 cm dilated, and the midwife told me that I probably wouldn't go past my due date. I came back for my 38 week appointment, and I was 3 cm dilated. She said that I was ready to go, and she didn't expect to see me at my next appointment.

That Saturday, my mom came down to visit. She told me to tell her any time I was feeling any pain. Well, I was having very mild pain every 15-20 minutes. She was convinced I was going to have a baby, which, in turn, convinced me. I mean, what do I know about having babies? My mom had four, so I figured she knew better than I. Well, after many hours and the pain never getting worse, my mom went home. We were still thinking it could be any moment. All of my 38th week went by this way.
I showed up for my 39 week appointment. I am 4 cm dilated and completely effaced. She said that she definitely won't see me next week. Well, I spend all week noticing every pain, thinking that I'll be going in to labor. My due date comes and goes, and I have to go in for my 40 week appointment (which was really at 40 weeks and 4 days). At my 40 week appointment, they tell me that I will be induced on Sunday if the baby doesn't come before then. But after examining me and determining that I am 5 cm, they decide that today is the day to have the baby. I called Nic and my mom from Labor and Delivery. They were on their way, and I was waiting for a room. They started to give me a room, and then decided that someone else needed it more. So, I wait a bit longer, and they have a room for me. I got undressed and started watching TV when they came to kick me out again. They take me to a tiny observation room. When I'm hooked up to all the machines, we can see that I am having fairly regular contractions (5 minutes apart), but I don't feel them (see picture below: I was feeling fine, and happy to be having a baby).

The medical staff was thinking I might not even need Pitocin to get my labor kicked up a notch, but after a few hours I haven't progressed much at all. They take me to my room and start Pitocin. I still wasn't really feeling my contractions. My main problem was that I was STARVING! I was motivated to get that baby out so that I could eat the Snickers bar that my mom and dad had gotten from the vending machine.

Then the midwife came in and broke my water, which hurt really bad. Painful contractions started immediately afterward. Luckily, they had already ordered my epidural, so I only felt the contractions for a few minutes. The epidural worked so well that I took a little nap. Not long after waking up, they came to check me and I was fully dilated. I was also starting to get very uncomfortable. I was feeling lots of pressure, and the epidural was starting to wear off. They wanted to let me labor for awhile, but I felt like I needed to push. So, I sent Nic to get the nurse.

Pushing was very hard. It took all of my strength, and I felt like I wasn't getting anywhere. I pushed for two very difficult hours. Every one could see that Max was right there, but in between pushes, he would slip back up the birth canal. Then the midwife suggested I turn on my side. Within minutes our sweet baby boy had arrived. Instantly, I felt like all of the effort was worth it. In the weeks prior, I had been nervous about holding my newborn baby. I was anything but nervous at the time. I don't think I'd ever wanted anything more than to hold my baby the instant he was born. I felt a crazy rush of love, and it still hasn't worn off.

Max was born at 9:49 pm on Friday, August 22, 2008. He weighed 8 lbs 1 ounce and was 19 1/2 inches long.

We are so happy to have Max in our family!

Thankful Thursday

So, it's Thursday. That doesn't mean much to me now that I'm a stay-at-home-mom, but in the blogging world it means it is "Thankful Thursday." I don't know who started Thankful Thursday, but it is a lovely reminder that we should count our blessings.

"We can lift ourselves, and others as well, when we refuse to remain in the realm of negative thought and cultivate within our hearts an attitude of gratitude. If ingratitude be numbered among the serious sins, then gratitude takes its place among the noblest of virtues" (Thomas S. Monson, "An Attitude of Gratitude," Ensign, May 1992, 54)

1) I am thankful for my little boy! I can't believe how much I love this little 8 pound ball of mush.

2) I am thankful for such a wonderful husband. He is truly my best friend.

He's the kind of man that would prepare dinner and do the dishes afterward for three weeks because his lazy-butt wife is still getting the hang of being a mom. He's the kind of man that brings home treats as a fun surprise. He's the kind of man that would proudly sport a baby sling. Yep, that's my man!3) I am thankful for a baby swing. It helped my little guy to conk out long enough for me to start a blog!


I think that most people list 10 things for which they are thankful, but as a new and frazzled mom, I think I only have time for three today. But, rest assured, I have so many things to be thankful for, and I am looking forward to the next Thankful Thursday.

Starting Fresh

Now that Max is here, I thought it would be nice to have some record of the happenings in our family. So, I’m starting another blog. Hopefully, I can keep up with it this time.