2 Weeks Old!

Just a few pictures from the last two weeks to show you how Max has grown....here he is after his first sponge bath last week. His umbilical cord fell off this morning, so from now on he gets real baths! He looks so tiny in his car seat!
All snuggled in for a nap, in his favorite position (he sleeps exactly the same way that Mommy does!)
At two weeks old, here are some changes that we've noticed:
1. Max is much more alert now! He will hold eye contact with you for longer periods of time, and will let us play little games with him.
2. No more umbilical cord....he has a real belly button now! Was it pregnancy hormones when I got a little choked up that he had lost his last connection to being in my belly???
3. Max is finally starting to fit in his "newborn" size clothes! We had to buy him some preemie things when he was first born, but pretty soon his little legs were too long for those. Now his belly is filling out the newborn onesies (pictures to come, I promise!), even though his little bottom is not. Sean says that it's because he has the "Simon butt". Better that than my "Silverstein butt" I suppose ;)
4. Diapers, diapers, and more diapers. I got peed on for the first time this morning. Actually, it wasn't just me...he managed to get his own belly, over his head, the fresh diaper that I was trying to put on, the changing pad cover, and the basket with diapers in it. Oh, and the adorable new jumper that I had just put him in. Fantastic fun folks. It's amazing how a little guy can pee that much...and that far!

Cuddle Time!

Mordechai Chaim

Yesterday was a big day for Max, because not only were we celebrating his Daddy's birthday, but it was Max's day to officially become a Jewish boy. Yes folks (stop wincing!)....Max was circumcised yesterday!

We were lucky enough to find two pediatricians who are members of the same temple, and have been doing circumcisions in the doctor's office (complete with yarmulke and the Hebrew blessing, of course!) for many years.

First, Max had his 2 week check-up. He has already surpassed his birth weight, and now weighs 6 lbs 6 oz! I know the scale says 6 lbs 8oz....it finally settled on 6 lbs 7 oz, and then we had to account for an ounce of diaper! Poor guy did not take any time to revel in his success....he was plain pissed that he was nearly naked in a strange place! He has grown just a bit past 19 inches now too!
Dr. G talked to us about many important things, like baby hiccups, spit-up, shots, and Max's umbilical cord. He was also very impressed with how strong Max was already, and liked how he picked up his head and neck so well when we layed him on his tummy. We're going to start doing more "tummy time" with Max now, since he is so much more alert this week!
Then we had the big moment.....Mommy leaned up against the wall so she wouldn't pass out, and big brave Daddy held Max as he became an official member of the tribe. (To protect Max's privacy, this is the only picture you'll see of the procedure! Plus, it makes me cry every time I see his little face all scrunched up and upset like that!)
Dr. G gave him some anesthetic, and then did the honors. Dr. F and Mommy said some prayers in Hebrew, and then Max Aidan Simon was given the Hebrew name Mordechai Chaim. Since Max is named after Sean's Pop-Pop Max, he has the same Hebrew name as Pop-Pop did as well....Mordechai. Max's middle name (Aidan) honors my Baubee and Sean's great grandmother, who were Ann and Anna. My Baubee's Hebrew name was Chana, so we chose Chaim for Max. Together, they can be translated to mean "Warrior of Life".....and so our boy will be.

And how's this for an amazing twist? Based on the Jewish calendar, Max arrived into this world on the day that we were commemorating the Yahrzeit for Sean's Pop-Pop.

We are so proud of your bravery already little Max....welcome to the world of being a Jewish boy, our little Warrior of Life!

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Max arrived just in time to help us celebrate Daddy's birthday! With all of the commotion and transition that we've had in the last few weeks, we weren't able to pull off a huge party for Daddy....but with everything he's done for us, he sure deserves one! Max and I made a deal that as soon as he's letting Mommy and Daddy sleep for more than an hour or so at a time, we'll plan a big party to celebrate that Daddy isn't even 40 yet!!!!

We did get to share some birthday cake and a little song with Daddy though...I think chocolate is Max's favorite flavor too!

Thank You Baubee!

Max's Baubee came to visit the day that Max arrived, and today was her last day with us before she had to leave for Washington....to celebrate another huge milestone in our family....Uncle Scott's graduation!

She was such an incredible help to us as we have been adjusting to our new routine of sleep deprivation, dirty diapers, and deciphering baby language (oh, and she totally put up with my crazy pregnancy hormones and helped calm down MY crying fits....not just Max's!). We honestly could not have done it without her help....we miss you already Baubee!

Mom knows best, and she made some great meals for us to help us get our strength back up. The hospital had given us a "Celebration Dinner" the night before we left, but my mom won the "Celebration Throwdown" with this meal of my favorite things on our first night home....tuna noodle casserole and salad with goat cheese....yum!

From singing yiddish lullabies to Max (the ones that my Baubee sang to me) and cuddling him so that Sean and I could have a minute to breathe (or shower, or work....) to cooking enormous amounts of food for us to eat over the next few weeks (kugel, lasagna, oh my!) to doing loads of laundry and sterilizing an endless supply of bottles.....Baubee made sure that we started off in the right direction on this journey of parenthood!!!

Uncle Scott and Zaydee Peter joined us later in the week too, and were able to spend some time getting to know little Max. We hope that this is the first of many family get-togethers in our new home!

Our Friend Jack is Here!

Susie and Matt's son Jack Anthony was born on June 3rd! Jack was 6 lbs 9 oz, and 19 3/4 inches long. Jack had been expected on June 17th, but just like Max, he decided to show up early to the party! In fact, I'm convinced that these two little boys have been communicating in some way in the last 9 months.....because Susie literally went into labor the day that I brought Max home from the hospital.

Here we are with our friend Janette and the two newest members of our group!

I have a feeling they'll be great friends!

Here are the proud daddies with their boys. Future little league coaches, anyone?

Coming Home

Due to my C-Section, I had to stay in the hospital for four days. The first day or two seems like a blur now.....every morning there was a flurry of people who would come in to check on us. Why this needed to happen starting at 7:30 am was beyond me. It was like being in a hotel that didn't have a sign to hang on the door that said "Do Not Disturb". So there you are, in your pajamas, sleeping soundly in a room with your husband and your new baby, and in walks the lactation consultant. And then the pediatrician. And then the OB. And then the day shift nurse. And then housekeeping. And then someone with breakfast. It started out feeling really bizarre, and then ended up being kinda nice to have so many helpers rallying around us. Except for the time that Sean woke up to find me staring at a doctor with a blank look on my face, asking him if he could up my pain medication. And heard this doctor respond "Ummm....I'm the pediatrician. But I can find your nurse for you." I'd love to know what I could possibly have said to him for the FIRST part of our conversation!

A few things I learned while in the hospital:

1. Help is necessary. Say yes. Say thank you. Don't turn it down. We had one special nurse in particular who helped me with things that I never thought I would need help with......personal things. Things that made me cry at 3 am because I was scared and in pain, and still coming off of the anesthesia. I loved that nurse.

2. Pay Attention. We all noticed that Max was a little jittery a few days in. My mom encouraged us to speak up and ask the doctor about it, and the pediatrician finally ordered some tests. Max had low blood sugar because my milk hadn't come in yet, and we learned that we needed to supplement with formula for a while. Nothing that would be a long-term issue, but enough to make me realize how important it was to pay attention to my "mom instincts".

3. Walk around. I never expected to have a C-Section, so I wasn't fully prepared for what the recovery would be like. The nurses encouraged me to walk as soon as I could, and always followed up by saying that the earliest I could walk would be Friday evening when the Spinal wore off, but that most women waited until the next day. That was all the challenge I needed. As soon as I could feel my feet, I was up and walking on Friday night. The same went for taking the catheter out, and then the IV. As soon as I could, I wanted to be free from all of the wires and contraptions and restraints.

4. Swaddling. Breastfeeding. Learning how to position Max when he sleeps. How to suction out his little mouth if he spits up. And so many other "baby things" that we were lucky enough to learn over four days. Even though it was a long time to be in the hospital, we were fortunate to have an intensive "Baby Boot Camp" that was staffed 24/7 with brilliant, sweet nurses who could answer every little question for us.

5. Ice chips, water, apple juice and graham crackers never tasted so good. And they came from the always-open "nourishment station" that was in the maternity ward. There were even popsicles in the freezer. A nice reward for walking a lap around our floor each evening. And even nicer when I found out that I was still on a "Clear" diet until Saturday morning (liquids only) because all of the other doctors let their patients eat real food the same day as the surgery, but Dr. N had hand-written a note for me saying that I was only on liquids until Saturday morning. Because he hates me.

6. Most importantly, we got to know Max. His little facial expressions (especially the one raised eyebrow look, the big yawns, the streettttttching my body in my sleep look....he is ALL personality), his sounds (the little squeak noise that he makes, which immediately earned him the nickname "Squeaker"), his little body (his adorable little frogger legs that he loves to keep curled up underneath him, his wrinkly elbows and knees that he still needs to grow into....making him look even smaller, his beautiful dark blue-grey eyes, his soft sweet head with just the tiniest bit of light brown hair, his little arms that he loves to tuck underneath him when he sleeps.....)

As I started to feel better, we started to prepare to return to the real world. Susie and Matt came to visit us and meet Diego's future best friend.

And then, suddenly, it was time to bring Max home and into his new little world.

Sean drove us home in our "family car", with Max and I safely tucked into the backseat and Baubee following in Sean's car behind us. As Max snuggled into his carseat, and my husband drove us gently (and slowly!) towards our new house and our new life, the song "Thank You" by Natalie Merchant came on the radio. I sang quietly along as her voice filled the inside of our car...

I want to thank you for so many gifts

You gave me love and tenderness

I want to thank you

I want to thank you for your generosity,

The love and the honesty that you gave to me

I want to thank you show my gratitude,

My love, and my respect for you

I want to thank you....

Thank you, thank you.....Thank you, thank you....Thank you, thank you......

And the tears just came down.....