Max is 1 week old!

Max is now 1 week old! The past week has been such a blur. The weekend was busy with having lots of visitors and trying to keep things as “normal” as possible for Addie. The weekdays have been very relaxing with both Brian and I home with Max. We have had lots of time to snuggle with him and just start to get to know this new little person in our family! We have had some small outings: to the doctor (he is now up to 6lb 5 oz!), Target, Tina’s, and to the Mill City Café for lunch. He has met most of our families and many of our close friends. I’m sad about Brian going back to work next week, but am looking forward to continuing my time home with him. Here are a few pictures of our time at home so far:

Max's Birth Story

At my 36 week appointment when they measured me Max was measuring smaller than the previous two appointments. That made them curious about my fluid levels and had me have an ultrasound to check them. They were low, but not critically low at that point so they sent me home and scheduled a biophysical exam for the next week. The only instructions I received was to drink lots of fluids, so I didn’t think too much of this situation. So the following Wednesday I went in for the biophysical which included an ultrasound and fetal monitoring. They do these to test how the baby was faring inside and how they thought he would do outside. When it was all said and done, we found that my fluid levels were 0.25 below the “critical” mark, and Max was doing all the things he needed to be ready for life on the outside. Given these things and since I was considered full term, they scheduled an induction for 7:30am the next morning.

On our way to the hospital!

So we arrived at Abbott at 7:30, I was induced at 9:30, and my water was broken at 1:45. My contractions started getting better after that, and I ended up having an epidural at 6:45. Like last time, I can’t seem to have a normal epidural… this one didn’t fail, but it became a one-sided block, which means I still felt everything on my left side. Luckily they were able to fix that just a few minutes before I started pushing at 9:00, and Max was born at 9:31! He was 6lb 8oz, and 20” and healthy!









We limited our visitors to family only while at the hospital so that we could get some extra rest, and so that when Addie was there it was guaranteed to be less chaotic for her. When she first met Max she was a little tentative, but when she came a second time she was much more excited, asking to hold him and playing in the bed with me. She brought him a gift of a Monkey Snuggle, and whenever he would fuss, she would run and say, “Max need him snuggle!” then show it to him saying, “Max! Ooh Ooh! Aah Aah!”









We were told that we would need to bring Max in to our pediatrician right away on Monday because he was a little jaundiced. When Addie heard this, she insisted that she wanted to go with when Max saw Dr. Jaeger. So all four of us made the trip Monday morning. Addie was very interested in all the things that they did with Max especially when they needed to draw his blood. She was front and center with the medical assistant watching intently and asking questions… maybe we have a future doctor on our hands??? At that appointment we learned Max’s 4 day stats:
Weight: 6lb 1oz, (10%)
Height: 19.25” (26%)
Head: 13.5” (25%)

Max Rodger Corbett is here!

Max was born at 9:31pm on Thursday, March 24, 2011. He weighed 6lb 8oz and was 20" long. It was a long day, but we are all healthy and feeling good!

Tommorrow is the Day!

I had my 37 week appointment today which included a biophysical exam since my fluid levels were measuring low last week. This exam included an ultrasound where she measured the baby's movements, development, and the fluid level. Just like last week, we did get some great shots of the baby, and I'm still loving his/her chubby cheeks! After the ultrasound they hooked me up to the fetal monitor to check the baby's heart rate with their movements.

After this, the baby looked healthy all around, but my fluid levels dropped to the "critical" level by .25. Since I am considered full term, the doctors decided to induce me tomorrow morning at 7:30 am... Yikes!

The fact that we are going to have a baby tomorrow just seems so surreal to me right now. In one way I'm grateful for the advance notice. We were able to get the crib put together tonight, make plans for Addie, get things wrapped up at work, and get our bags packed. On the other side, I'm nervous! I'm nervous about the baby being ok and the pain of contractions and delivery (especially given the pitocin). I'm just trying to keep in mind that I survived all of this last time and this baby is going to have to come out at some point!

See you next time... when I will be writing as a member of a family of 4!

What we've been up to...

When we bought our house 5 years ago there were certain projects that we knew we wanted to accomplish. Well, as of this weekend, we are finally done with the last interior project on that list... finishing the attic! We were less "hands-on" with this project due to the nature of it (installing 4 windows on a third level), and the fact that by the time things really got rolling I was already 5 months pregnant. Despite all the help we had from contractors, family, and friends, we have still been extremely busy trying to get it finished in time for Corbettkid2's arrival. We have been working both on weekends and weeknights, but as of today... we are done!












Attic before and after

Addie slept in her new "big girl" room for the first time last night and did really well considering what a huge adjustment it is. I have also been very impressed with how helpful she has been in now updating her old room into a room for the baby. We are very close at finishing that room as well, with just needing to assemble the crib left on the list.










The finished product

I feel so much less stressed now knowing that we are pretty much "prepared" to bring a baby into this house... especially since I will be 37 weeks (full term) tomorrow! I'm hoping that Corbettkid2 will sense this feeling of being ready and choose to appear a little bit earlier than April 13th! Although at my 36 week appointment the baby was not measuring quite right, so I was able to have an ultrasound to make sure everything was ok. We got some great pictures (they look so different from the 20 week ultrasound!) and my favorite one is where you can see the baby's chubby cheeks from the front :) From the ultrasound we learned that my fluid levels are low, and that the baby is measuring almost a week ahead of schedule with an estimated weight of 6lb 7oz! Because of the low fluid levels I will have another ultrasound this week in order to be sure that fluid levels stay above the "critical" level and that the baby is still growing as he/she should be!

Addie's 3 Year Stats

Weight: 30 lb (50%)
Height: 35.75” (25%)

Addie had her 3 year check today and all went well! It was so much more fun than previous appointments because they did things like test her eyes, take her blood pressure, and complete a hearing test. She followed all the directions really well and asked a lot of good questions about each of the tests. The only bad part was that she was due for a booster so had to end the appointment with a shot ☹

Likes: Princesses, Cars, playing with friends, having conversations with anyone!, skating, sledding, board games, talking about being a big sister soon!
Dislikes: Going to bed, shots, getting sick

Disney Princess Wishes

On Sunday we went to see Disney on Ice Princess Wishes. There were four generations there, with me and Addie, Grandma and Great Grandma. Addie was SUPER excited for the show as it included two of her favorite things: princesses and skating. We got there early and she was able to see all the princess dresses and even meet Cinderella (her favorite!) in person. It was so cute... she ran right up to Cinderella and said hi! and shouted, "look at my shirt, Cinderella!". We also ran into Addie's friend, Ava, there with her mom and Grandma. When the show started, Addie loved every second of it, and she couldn't take her eyes off the ice. When it was done, she asked if we could come back tomorrow and bring Dada!

Happy Birthday Sweet Addie!

Today our little girl turned 3! It's amazing to go back and look at pictures over the past 3 years to see how much she has changed and grown into a real kid! To celebrate, we spent the day at the zoo and then at home made cupcakes and invited Addie's friend Hazel over for birthday treats and a movie (Cars, of course!).