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Thursday, November 17, 2011

World Prematurity Awareness Day

Two years ago I would have guessed that the main reason babies are born early is due to a mother's poor prenatal actions. So when I became pregnant I would've bet money that I would never set foot in a NICU. I didn't drink, smoke, and I had no preexisting conditions. I barely touched caffeine and stayed away from hot tubs, sushi, lunch meat, and queso. Prenatal vitamins were ingested daily before I ever became pregnant. I drank tons of water and ate from all the food groups. My husband and I didn't miss a single prenatal appointment. And yet, my child spent 73 days in the NICU.

Prematurity is a serious issue in our country. One in eight babies is born before 37 weeks gestation. In 40% of these cases the cause for early arrival is unknown. Of the thirteen million babies born prematurely, one million of them don't see their first birthday. Those that do make it often have lasting effects: cerebral palsy, hearing or vision deficits, breathing problems, difficulty feeding and digesting, and learning disabilities.

I know all too well how powerless you can feel when your baby is taken from you too soon. I couldn't keep my son healthy or safe. I did nothing wrong and yet my son had to fight for his life. You may feel similarly powerless to help families like mine and babies like Max. But there are things you can do:
1. Give to the March of Dimes. They are researching ways to prevent preterm birth and help preemies.
2. Walk in the March for Babies, sponsored by March of Dimes. Get sponsors to help with donations.
3. Enlist the help of your church or friends to make tiny hats and blankets. Donate them to a NICU.
4. If you do know a family with a child in the NICU, provide meals for them or gift cards to eat out. They will likely have little time to cook and may travel great distances to get to the hospital.
5. Donate books, magazines, or puzzle books to a hospital's waiting room. NICU parents do a lot of waiting and appreciate the small distractions. Board books could also be donated so parents can read to their preemies.
6. Let a family know you are thinking and praying for them. Pray for those children you know and those you don't.

Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers as Max struggled in the NICU. We are beyond blessed to have a healthy 21 month old at home.
All babies should be wireless :(
Max at about 28 weeks gestation, just over 2.5 lb.

Sunday, November 6, 2011

The Big Reveal!

My doctor is following this pregnancy closely so I've had several ultrasounds. As early as 15 weeks, the technician had a guess for baby H's gender. Two additional technicians since then have independently agreed with my instinct...it's a GIRL!

We have been hesitant to spill the beans since we've heard of early ultrasounds misrepresenting some boys as girls. However, at 18 weeks, we are putting our faith in the medical professionals and planning in pink. Also I still have a few more ultrasounds scheduled that would hopefully catch any errors. I'm just trying not to get too far into the nursery planning, clothes shopping, bow collecting frenzy!

Max shared the news about his sibling with a mini-gender reveal party on Saturday. We invited close family over for some snacks and the big announcement. Max baked a few cake pops covered in chocolate, blue and pink sprinkles. Everyone bit in at the same time to reveal the pink cake! Enjoy a few pictures from the big day!
18 weeks!

Team Pink!

Team Blue!

Cousins watching football

Daddy, Mommy, Big Brother, and Big Doodle

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Maxwell, Monkey Man



Happy Halloween!
My monkey was a little skeptical of his costume at first, but quickly grew to love it. Max delighted in throwing his pumpkin around, digging through the candy bowl, and chasing Josie, the banana. We tried valiantly to get a good picture of Max, the monkey, and his banana-doodle. This is probably the best one!

Nope, that's not our front porch. Our neighbor created these amazing jack-o-lanterns and said people had been taking pictures with them all night. Don't mind if we do! I need to take a picture at our other neighbor's house. They created a shipwreck in their yard. HUGE, detailed shipwreck. They handed out their candy dressed as pirates. Boy, do we have a lot to learn living in the 'burbs! Hope your Halloween was magical too!

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Guess What?





That's right! Maxwell is going to be a big brother! These pictures were taken in August, when we first found out. We are so excited! We know this baby will be a wonderful addition to our family and Max will be an excellent brother. He even had a "trial run" this weekend when we babysat his 3 month old cousin. Max was not bothered by the crying, was not jealous, and even gently stroked his cousin Colin's hair.

This pregnancy has definitely been different. Max's pregnancy was short, but pretty blissful. This little guy or girl has been challenging me with nausea, sickness, reflux, a meat aversion and backaches. And that was just the first trimester! I'm now 16 weeks pregnant. We have met with a high risk doctor to make a plan to keep this bun in the oven until March. I am being closely monitored and am paying close attention to all my symptoms. Prayers are welcome as we hope and pray for a long, uneventful pregnancy.

We've had a busy summer and fall. I hope to update you more often now that I am feeling a little better. Max is changing so much everyday and continues to be the light of our lives. Thanks for catching up with the Hunts!

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Snapshot

Well I intended to keep updating monthly, but that hasn't happened for various reasons. I do have drafts of Max's 13 and 14 month posts. However, I think I'd rather just talk about what the little guy is doing now at nearly 16 months (13 months adjusted).

Height: ?Short?
Weight: Somewhere above 20.5 pounds.
Size: He wears a few 12 month clothes, but is mostly in 18 months due to his big noggin. We sometimes mix and match with a bigger shirt and smaller shorts since he's not very tall.
Teeth: Seven! Max cut his first molar a few weeks ago. That's five teeth on top and only two on the bottom!
Sleeping: When Max is teething this is the area that really suffers. After being a consistent night sleeper and 2 nap a day-er, Max is just now getting back on track with his sleep.
Eating: This kid loves table food! His favorite foods are Cheerios, crackers, yogurt, pasta (with sauce), and peas. He is usually pretty good at trying new things (tacos, raspberries, banana pudding). Although he has had a few picky "toddler" days where he may only eat cheese and bread (yum, right?).
So hungry, he's eating the plate too!


Do you think he enjoyed his pasta dinner?

Movement: Max loves walking with his push toy, but is not quite ready for walking on his own. Who would be when you can consistently crawl faster than a speeding bullet? ;) Max loves to climb stairs and tries to climb onto the couch often. He has also started "bear walking" and enjoys crawling over everything (our legs, his toys, Josie!).
Milestones: When we eat out Max gets his own meal. He started eating too much of mine!
Max moved on to a new convertible car seat. He went on his first plane ride, our first family vacation to Florida (Hopefully I can post some Florida pics later- too many to go through now!) He got his first illness. He finally figured out how to tilt a sippy cup on his own to get his drink. Although he much prefers drinking from a straw to a sippy cup. After all, that's what he sees mom and dad doing when we eat out! Max consistently signs "more" and has signed "please" a few times. He waves hello and goodbye and will even blow you a kiss if he's not feeling too shy.
Max's first "real" Easter (last year he was in the hospital)

Favorite toys: CARS! He also enjoys his blocks, books, and crayons. But cars of any shape and size are the best of all!Max plays with his cars at our new house. His favorite part of the house? The stairs! Good for climbing and making cars do tricks!
(I love how you can tell he is making the "brrrm" noise for his car here!)

Dislikes: He hates having something taken away (replacing does NOT work anymore). This, and being told "no," has been the source of some tantrums lately. He also dislikes having his legs held up during diaper changes. Come to think of it, he mostly doesn't tolerate diaper changes very well at all anymore...
Words/ sounds: I swear some days I think my child speaks Polish. He most certainly is fluent in some language and it's not English! He does say a few words in my native tongue: mama, dada, dog, ball, book, more, help, Gigi, Josie. He can also "bawk" like a chicken and "roar" like a lion. We've heard him "woof" twice.

My favorite recent conversation with Max:
Max: babababababa
C: Max, you sound like a chicken. Bawk, bawk, bawk.
M: (smiles) baw, baw, bawk
C: Max, you sound like a chicken. Bawk, bawk. Who's a chicken?
M: Dada
C: (disbelievingly) Who's a chicken?
M:Dada
(John enters the room after overhearing)
John: Max, bawk, bawk. Who's a chicken?
M: Mama
J: Who's a chicken?
M: Mama (smiling great big the whole time!)

That's all I can squeeze in today. We are in the midst of a big move. Headed to Tennessee! We have already closed on our house with both Max and Josie giving the new house two thumbs up! Hopefully I can keep you updated a little better this summer!

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Luck O' the Irish To Ya!


Bark if you're Irish!


My McCutie and his green toys


Screaming some Irish blessings!

Happy St.Patrick's Day!

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

You Are My Sunshine, Max!

Many parents say the day their child is born is the greatest day of their lives. I can't say that. One year ago, on Feb. 12, 2010, my baby was born and it was the scariest day of my life. I can say that the moment I heard him cry I did feel a sense of peace and optimism. My child, though 12 and a half weeks premature, had strong lungs and let me know he had arrived ready to fight. And fight he did. Maxwell fought for his life and is now a strong, healthy one year old. It was one year ago today, Feb. 16, that I was able to hold my beautiful son for the first time. Another moment that filled me with peace and optimism. He was so incredibly tiny. Two pounds, 11 ounces. Fourteen inches. Holding him a year later is such a different experience. He is six and a half times his birth weight and nearly double his birth height! Not to mention the change in behavior. A year ago his movements were small and unsteady. Now he knows what he wants and how to get it. What a difference a year makes!

One year ago, our bonding consisted of diaper changes, temperature checks, and one hour of kangaroo care each day. During kangaroo care, we would read books, sing, and rest peacefully. I did not prepare for motherhood by learning an hour's worth of songs though. We repeated many songs, one of which was "You Are My Sunshine." Through all the trials our family endured last year, Max remained our sunshine. Therefore, we found that to be a fitting theme for our little man's first anniversary of his dramatic entrance in this world.

Max's party was limited to close family since his birthday is during the dreaded RSV season. We had a lot of help preparing our house for the big day. We also had help preparing some yummy treats. Check it out.Personalized cupcake toppers

Eek, too dark, but the banner says, "You Are My Sunshine"



B-day Boy and his "loot"

The birthday boy had a special outfit and a special hair style. Max's hair was standing straight up all day. There were no hair products used, nor did his hair respond to brushing. We dubbed it his "party hair." :)

Max was a little overwhelmed with all the people and activity. He began sucking his thumb again that day. I thought it was for comfort, but since the behavior has continued I suspect teething. Max enjoyed all sorts of new books and toys. Thank you to all who celebrated with us as well as those who sent cards, gifts, or facebook greetings.
Josie and Max play with his new speedway

One very special guest on Max's birthday was his baby cousin, Charlotte. Charlotte and her mom, Allyson, win the prize for coming from the furthest away to help celebrate. :) Both Charlotte and Max don't have many opportunities to see other babies so they really enjoyed each other's company.
Baby investigations

Max also chose this day to fly solo with standing up. Poor kid looked so freaked out when he realized I wasn't holding him up. He has also mastered falling gracefully onto his bottom :)
Also, Max has really taken off with pulling up on things. He had been pulling up on our hands really well for months, but just recently learned to transfer that skill to his musical table, couches, etc.
Oh, and the cake! I expected a big mess. However, Mr. Max investigated this mysterious new food by extending one little finger and incrementally scooping tiny samples of icing. I think he actually tasted only a small portion of the cake, but am certain he enjoyed the icing.


Other news from the past month in Maxwell's life:
-Max is an efficient crawler. He started with a clumsy forward motion, pausing on his belly and pushing off with both feet at the same time. Now he zooms around the house on all fours, nimbly alternating arms and legs.
-Since Max was in the NICU so long, he continues to be followed by various doctors. This month we went to Vandy's audiology department and got another great report about my baby's hearing.
-So far Maxwell loves having his teeth brushed. The moment he sees his "toothbrush" he opens his mouth.
-Max is pointing to a lot of things. He can identify several objects including baby, duck, and Josie.
-He continues to experiment with noises. He has made the sounds for several consonants before (d, g, y, w, b, m), but started saying "cccc" lately. Perhaps he will say "car" next?

John and I are just so overjoyed at having this vibrant, amazing son. He lights up our lives and we are just so proud of him. Thank you for continuing to follow us on this amazing journey. What a difference a year makes!!!

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Happy Birthday, Miracle Max!

I have a worn-out one-year old on my lap so here's a sneak peek of the birthday post to come...

The 12th Day!!!


1-29-11

Friday, February 11, 2011

Day 11/Month 11

12-25-10

12-25-10


Thursday, February 10, 2011

Day 10/ Month 10


11-26-10


11-27-10


12-5-10

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

On the 9th Day...



10-30-10
Our lil' punkins


11-10-10

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Day 8/ Month 8 (Bonus:)


9-22-10
Happy Fall Y'all!

9-25-10
Amazed by his new sitting ability


10-5-10
First pair of jeans




Monday, February 7, 2011

Day 7/ Month 7




8-19-10
Max's check-up at Vandy
Compare to early pic of me holding him...

3-1-10

Grow, Max, grow!!!

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Day 6/ Month 6

7-25-10
Max and Pastor Doug
Pastor married us and baptized Max


Saturday, February 5, 2011

Friday, February 4, 2011

On the 4th Day...

Max finally fits into his "Special Delivery" T-Shirt.

5-30-10

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Day 3/ Month 3


If you are just now joining us, I am posting a picture each day to represent a month of my baby's life. He will be 12 months old on the 12th of February. What's so special about today's photo is that it represents my Max graduating the NICU and living at home. Here he is with his new best bud, Josie.

4-29-10

5-4-10

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