We've Made It Two Months!

I know I'm almost a week late, but I can't believe our little blessing is already T-W-O months old!  Maverick James is such a sweet little guy, and has grown so much physically and mentally the last month.  He is extremely alert these days and loves to just watch every move we make.  He is also finding his little voice and talks up a storm...it couldn't be because I sit and talk to him all day ;-)  He is very strong and when we hold him, he only lays his head down on our shoulders if he is sleepy.  He's also becoming a champ at pulling momma's hair!  He doesn't miss a meal, and makes us laugh with all of his gassy tendencies!  Mav is starting to play with his jungle gym toys, already has an appreciation for good music, and enjoys when we read to him.  He is the best baby that we seriously could have ever asked/prayed/wished for!  Can you tell we are smitten?!  Oh yeah, and did I mention he has started sleeping through the night?!  Perfect. Child,

Here are a few updated stats:

Weight: 14lbs 12oz (95th Percentile)
Height: 24.5" (95th Percentile)
Head Circumference: 16" (90th Percentile)
Favorite Toy: Infantino Gym
Favorite Song: "Home" by Phillip Phillips (we listen to it basically every night before bed)
Favorite Book: Thank You, God for Mommy by Amy Parker (he loves looking at the black and white pandas)

 



To Our Sweet Little Maverick:
If we have said it once, we have said it a million times: we don't know what we did to deserve a little blessing as amazing as you.  Over the last two months you have brought more joy to our lives than we ever thought was imaginable.  Your sweet little smile melts our hearts, and we can see God's love for us in your eyes. 

Life may not always be easy, and we may not always be best friends, but please know that our love for you will never end.  You will always be our baby.

Your favorite song right now is "Home" by Phillip Phillips.  Daddy plays it on his phone for you almost every night while we are putting you to sleep.  The words in the chorus are true today, and will remain that way forever.

     Settle down, it'll all be clear
     Don't pay no mind to the demons
     They fill you with fear
     The trouble it might drag you down
     If you get lost, you can always be found
     Just know you're not alone
     Cause I'm going to make this place your home

We love you, sweet baby.

Always & Forever,
Mom & Daddy

Baby's First Thanksgiving!

Maverick had the B-E-S-T Thanksgiving we could ever have asked for!  We started off with a HUGE (that's probably an understatement) traditional Thanksgiving meal at my parent's house.  There were 12 of us there, and I don't think there was even one minute that sweet Mav wasn't being held by someone :-)

That afternoone, Sam's parents took Mav to their house for his first ever sleep over so Sam and I could go Black Friday shopping.  It was so hard not to text Darcy every five minutes to check on the baby!!!  I did a good job, though, and only texted her twice!  Of course, he was a great baby and had a blast playing with Grandma and Grandpa, and watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.  Sam and I had a great time shopping, too.  We got a bunch of things we didn't really need, but our #1 score was a beautiful new Christmas tree!

Friday morning we headed over to Oklahoma first thing to see our sweet baby.  That afternoon we took a quick drive over to Lake Eucha to walk around.  Because of the horrible drought this summer, the lake is incredible low.  We were able to walk out onto it!  Then that evening we had a "family cook" making a big chinese spread!  Non-traditional, we know, but it was so much fun and absolutely delicious!  Darcy (Sam's mom) makes the best pot stickers!!!  YUM!

We rounded out the weekend by getting our Christmas decorations out of storage and putting up our new tree.  It fits perfectly by the fireplace!  Our dining room table is still full of snowmen that I have yet to put somewhere in the house.  I love decorating for Christmas, and since we are in a new house, I want it to look perfect so I am taking my precious time!  I'll post pictures as soon as I am finished. 

I hope everyone had as great of a Thanksgiving this year as we did.  We have been blessed beyond belief this year and have so many things to be thankful for! 

I'll leave you with an awesome passage about giving thanks, and some of my favorite photos from the weekend.

"Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in Heaven and Earth is yours.  Yours, Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all.  Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things.  In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all.  Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name."  1 Chronicles 29:11-13

Mom & Dad's gorgeous Thanksgiving table

 



 

Look at all of that food!  We hardly put a dent in it!

 

 

Mav is blessed to have so many wonderful women in his life

 

 

 



 

Annie, Paul, and Shayla walking on Lake Eucha

 

 

 

 Sweet cousins!

 

Attempt #563 of making a handprint ornament!



 

Love to all!

SM

Count Your Many Blessings

The whole Facebook "30 Days of Thanks" thing during the month of November has really made me think the last 22 days about all of the gazillions of things Sam and I have to be thankful for.  Maybe the challenge for 2013 should be "365 Days of Thanks."  I know I could do it.  Our life over the past year has been like riding the biggest, fastest, curviest roller coaster ever, but we have ended up on top of the world.

Last Thanksgiving Sam and I were praying every day that we were not losing the baby that we had already fallen so deeply in love with over the previous six weeks.  The week after, at our 12 week appointment, the doctor confirmed our greatest fear - I had had a miscarriage.  The word devastated would be an understatement.  Of course, I tried to put on a happy face, but the daily Facebook announcements of someone else that was pregnant were a constant reminder of what we had lost.  It also took a while for my HCG levels to go back down to zero, so I had weekly blood tests until after the first of the year to monitor them.  We weren't allowed to try to conceive again before they were back to normal.  Then I was passed over for a promotion I was hoping for at work and the house we were trying to sell was sitting completely still on the market.  As you can imagine, I became a little depressed.  I didn't decorate for Christmas, gained weight, the whole nine yards.  It was awful.

But then, our luck turned around.  In February we learned that we were pregnant again and expecting a HEALTHY little human to join our family in October.  My team at work began going through a reorganization process, and I learned that there may be some awesome opportunities for advancement into a management position.  We had a wonderful, fun-filled trip to New York for my cousin's outrageously beautiful wedding.  In early May I received my dream promotion to Manager of Product Development, Growth, & Innovation, and later that month we received an offer on our house almost completely out of the blue!  My goodness how life can drastically change in six months!  All in God's timing, I guess. 

Today we live happily in our beautiful new home, with our gorgeous little baby boy, and I am on a 12-week fully paid maternity leave from a job that I absolutely love.  For that, I am thankful.  Sam and I have been blessed beyond measure this year.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not harm you.  Plans to give you hope and a future."  Jeremiah 29:11

HAPPY THANKSGIVING, EVERYONE!

SM

One Month Update!

I can't believe our sweet baby boy is one month old today!  We had a wonderful visit with Dr. Savage this morning - he basically told us we have a perfect little man.  As if we didn't know that already :-)

Here are the stats from his visit:

Weight: 11lb 3oz
Length: 22.5"
Head Circumference: 15.25"
Maverick is in the 90th percentile all the way around - BIG BOY!

Only being a month old, Mav doesn't do too much more than sit there and look around, but he amazes us every day.  His demeanor is almost always very chill, and he really doesn't fuss unless he has a wet diaper.  He has started making eye contact with us and watches every move we make.  Tummy time has helped him to become really strong and he holds his head up really well (considering his age).  He loves it when you give him eskimo kisses and will hold your finger all day if you let him.  Maverick enjoys our daily walks around the neighborhood and he loves being outdoors in the fresh air.  His favorite toy is his Baby Einstein Panda (no joke) and his favorite place to sleep is in his Boppy Lounger. 

We are truly blessed to have such a cool, happy baby.  The past month has absolutely flown by.  We love watching him grow!

When A Child Is Born, So Is A Mom

Yes, I hijacked the title of this post from the latest Carter's commercial, but it is so true! 

Given all of the experience I have had with kids and babies in the past, I thought that Maverick would come into this world and I would automatically become a professional mom.  Boy was I wrong!  Being a mom is so much harder than I could have ever imagined, and no matter how much practice you have with other people's children, I don't think anything can actually prepare you for it.  Now don't get me wrong, I am loving every single minute, take that back, ever single second of motherhood...I am just doing a lot of learning as I go.  For instance, one could say I am a very "by the books" type of person.  When I didn't think Maverick was eating enough because what I read didn't match up with his rhythm, I freaked out a little a lot.  When I made the decision not to breast feed full time while I knew that "breast is best," I cried every day for a week.  Fortunately for my conscience, I was asked by the doctor to discontinue breast feeding anyway, but that's a different story.  When Maverick busted out of his swaddle at two days old and we couldn't get him to sleep flat on his back, I wondered if Sam and I would ever sleep again.  You know what though?  Our sweet baby boy is one of the happiest and healthiest babies around, and the two of us are really getting the hang of things!  No, we may not follow the rules exactly, and Mav may not do everything just like all of the babies in the books we read, but he is thriving, and for that I am so proud.  I truly look forward to the future and learning how to be the best mom to Maverick that I can be!

I definitely have to give Sam some props too!  He is turning out to be the world's greatest daddy,  I think I'll make him a t-shirt for Christmas :-)  Having never been around babies and not even the first clue about how to hold/change/feed them, he has stepped up to the plate and is doing a fantastic job.  You can tell by the way he looks at Maverick that he is completely head over heels.  It's also so cute when he talks about the future and taking Maverick to the race shop to work on the 27M!  Right now they are both snoozing on the couch.  Mav is asleep on Sam's chest, of course.  I love it!

Here are a few pictures of our big boy from the last couple of weeks.  I can't believe he will be one month old tomorrow.  We to the pediatrician first thing in the morning for a check up and I can't wait to hear the doctor brag about what great progress Maverick is making!

First family outing at Nathan & Rachel's wedding

10/20/2012



My little tiger and me!

Halloween 2012



 

All dressed up for Maverick's first church service

11/4/2012

 

 

 First wagon ride!

11/4/2012

 

 

Grandma gives the best wagon rides!

11/4/2012

Doing what they do best!

11/3/2012

 

Sweet sleeping baby!

11/6/2012

 

Maverick, Mallory, Will, and me at Will's 1st Birthday Party!

10/28/2012

 

 

Maverick and Daddy in the 27M

11/2/2012

 

 

More updates tomorrow after Maverick's check up! 

 

SM

 

Baby Makes Three...

Maverick James Meyer!

Born Friday, October 12, 2012 at 12:30 AM

9 Pounds 7 Ounces, 20-3/4 Inches Long

Sam and I are so thrilled to welcome our precious baby boy into this world!  After 39ish weeks of being sick, taking lunchtime naps in my car, having elephant ankles and sausage toes, and fighting with my legs to stay still at night, he is finally here!  All of the miserable days and nights became worth it.  So totally worth it.  We knew we would quickly fall in love with the little guy, but I don't think we realized we would immediately fall head over heels for him.  Our sweet baby Maverick is everything we prayed for and more - our beautiful little blessing :-)

I will  now smother you with pictures of the most handsome little boy you've ever laid eyes on!

Look at all of that hair!

 

 

 Could he be any more beautiful?!

 

 

 BIG BOY!  9lbs 7ozs!  The hospital measured his length at 19", but at his first pediatrician appointment (5 days old) they told us he was mis-measured and was actually 20-3/4".  That makes him sound a little less square!

 

Daddy holding Mav for the first time!

Love at first sight!

First family photo!  (Ok, I lied a little bit.  That should've said "first family photo I'm willing to share."  The actual first picture was taken by the doctor about 5 seconds after I delivered, and it is way less than flattering of momma!)

 

 

Dressed and ready to go home!

 

 

Home Sweet Home!

 

 

Special shout-out to Dr. Amber Sills with Women's Health Associates and all of the staff on the Labor & Delivery floor at Northwest Medical Center in Bentonville for making our birthing experience as great as we ever could have asked for!