3 Weeks

 It's already been three weeks with our little Sam.  The family is adjusting rather well.  He is such a little love.  I really can't get enough of him.  Sometimes I hide in his room and shut the door so we can cuddle in peace without Hank and Max interrupting.  I am thoroughly enjoying every minute with him.  He gets up a couple times during the night but I don't mind.  There is just something about the third child.  Maybe I've finally figured out how to be a mom of a newborn. He eats 2.5 ounces every 3 or 4 hours and really only cries when he is hungry. 

 When he is awake, he really looks you in the eye...starring deep into your soul!

 You can see Hank in the corner trying to kiss him.

 Sam met his Aunt Danna this week.  He could tell she is an experienced mom/grandma.

 He snuggled right in.

 He also got to bathe for the first time this week and he LOVES the tub. 

 This whale tub is the bomb.  It has a little place for him to sit so you don't have to hold him awkwardly.  He loves bath time so much more than his brothers did at this age.

 He pulls some serious Randy faces.

 He looks a bit terrified of Max in this picture but I assure you , he loves his brother.

 Max loves it when Crusher bites his nose.

 I am most amazed by his furry little face and his tiny little head.  Hank and Max were always in the 90th percentile in head size but Sam is just in the 30th.

 I've been meaning to post pictures of his nursery but I was waiting for his letters to arrive.  The amazing bedding is courtesy of my friend Annalisa's company, Oilo.  Sam is soon to be featured on her website modeling their newest layette set. 

 Since Sam moved into Max's old room, Hank and Max got bunk beds a few months ago.  They love sleeping in the same room.  It hasn't been a hard adjustment at all.  They take turns every other night sleeping on the top bunk.

So, I still have Bell's Palsy which is beyond annoying but all I have to do is look at this little angel baby and everything seems o.k. He is such an incredible blessing to our family and he couldn't have come at a better time.  I love you Sam, so very very much!

Max is FOUR!

I can't believe my little Maxi is 4!  I must say, being a big brother brings out the best in him.  Sam is so content in his arms which helps me out immensely.

 Max's birthday celebrations began a day early at preschool.  I arrived for the last 15 minutes of class to share a poster all about Max and treats for the class.  I had a chance to watch Max for a few minutes before he realized I was there and he was so cute.  He was minding Miss Molly and participating.  I love it!

 He got all dressed up like a cowboy and the class sang happy birthday to him.

 What a little stud!  He got to keep the hat and bandanna, I think he needs to wear it all the time.

The next morning was his birthday and Hank was bummed he had to go to school.  We opened Max's gifts before Hank left.  Hank picked out Max's favorite present of the day.

 Pop the Pig

 Max also got some Ninja Turtle movies, a Max and Ruby book, a baseball pitching machine, and Donkey Kong for the Wii.

 Max wanted Chick-Fil-A for lunch so we called our usual lunch group (mom, Sarah, and Jack) and they were there in 5 minutes!

 He enjoyed a birthday Diet Coke.

 As well as some quality time with Jack in the play place.  Good thing Sarah was around to put the smack down on all the annoying kids bothering Max and Jack.

We had time to rest for a bit before Max's birthday party at Jump On It with the rest of the family.

 Max loves the foam pit.

 My sweet little Isabel.  The kids were jumping fools and having a great time but Max had one thing on his mind...birthday cake.

I can't really blame him since it was a really delicious looking cake but the other kids weren't quite ready.  Max was pissed.

 I snapped this picture seconds before Max swatted the camera out of my hands sending it crashing into the concrete floor and breaking it.  It's a good thing it was his birthday or I might have beat him right on the spot.  Luckily Jeri had her camera on hand to capture the rest of the party.  The ironic thing was he never actually touched his cake.  He was too busy drinking his fresca with a spoon.  Go figure.

I think he should've wished for a new camera for his mom.

Or perhaps a mom without a paralyzed face.  How freaky do I look! 

 Lynn and Jenni

 Scott and Jeri

 Dad and Sam

 Max couldn't wait to tear into his presents.  Man, our family knows Mino well!  The gifts were perfection.

 He got a new DS from my mom and dad, star wars figures and a wii game from Jeri and Scott, as well as hot wheels and other little toys from Colby and Dyson.

 Hank was so eager to help Max rip into his presents.

 The Ross family hit the mark with this Raphael costume.  Max had to wear it within 5 seconds of opening it.

He couldn't see out of his mask but he refused to take it off.

 Sarah also blew Max's mind with this General Grevious mask.  He refused to actually speak the rest of the night.  He would just simply push the button on the mask and have Grevious do the talking.

I love this picture.  Raphael jumping with Hank captures the night perfectly.  Max is certainly one of a kind!  I can't imagine our family without him in it.  There is never a dull moment when Max is around.  Now that Hank is at school all day, I really love the one on one time I get to spend with him.  I am the luckiest girl in the world to be his mom.  Happy birthday my little buddy.  I love you!

 OMG--I just have to include this picture because it is so sad/hilarious/disturbing.  Please Bell's Palsy, go away.  That is my attempt at a smile, hahaha.  I am so hot!

Max's First Day at Bear Hollow

 Just two hours after Sam's birth, Max was whisked away to his first day of preschool.  It's a good thing I was drugged out of my mind because I have been really dreading this day.  Max just seems like my baby still.  I can't picture him in a structured classroom environment.  Randy documented the day perfectly since I was out of commission.  He knew I would have to blog about this.

 Max was in great spirits before school started.  I don't think he quite knew what to expect.

 They arrived a bit early so Max got to play outside for a few minutes.

 I can't handle how grown up he looks.  It seems like just yesterday I was doing this with Hank.

 Miss Molly had an art project planned for the kids and their parents to start the day.  Max was distraught when he saw "Max" spelled out on his paper.  He immediately turned to Randy and said "My name isn't Max, it's Vern."  He made Randy spell out Vern on his paper and insisted it be spelled "AA".  When Randy left, Max was a little upset but Molly said he did great.  

Randy even captured Max waiting to be picked up after school with his cowboy hat.  What a day for my Mino-man...new brother, and first time away from home by himself.  He did so great.  I am so proud of my little buddy.  I still get a lump in my throat when I drop him off.  Being a parent is agonizing sometimes.

On a side note...I woke up on Sunday morning to a numb tongue that soon turned into numbness all along the left side of my face.  After going to the urgent care clinic, I soon learned I have Bells Palsy.  The doctor said it's triggered by stress and can last at least a week, sometimes months.  I cried at first and then had to laugh, seriously, what else could happen to me this month?  I look like I've spent 5 hours in the dentist chair all the time, oh and I can't close my eye.  If you see me out and about, please try not to stare.

The Complete Recap of Sam's First Week

Here is my attempt at recapping the birth of my 3rd child.  I have pictures from multiple sources so I could fully capture the magic of September 6, 2011.  My doctor agreed to doing my c-section two days early so I could go to my grandma's funeral.  This was without a doubt the most emotions I could possibly handle in one week!

Sarah came to my house just before six in the morning to get the kids ready and to the hospital to meet their new brother.  Max also had his first day of preschool to look forward to.

 You can see how excited he was.

Hank couldn't wait!  He was dying to show Crusher his extremely loose snaggle tooth.

The beauty of a scheduled c-section is knowing exactly when your baby will arrive.  Mom, dad, and Jeri kept us company while we waited to go the operating room.  Randy had all his gear on, looking like a stud!

I had to take a profile picture to prove he was in fact housed in my body for the past 39 weeks.  How he fit, I will never know.  I must say my experience this time around was far less dramatic than last time.  I walked into the operating room, got the spinal block (which didn't hurt one bit), and my doctor asked me what kind of music I wanted to listen to.  Of course the obvious choice for a delivery would be John Legend radio on Pandora.  I kind of felt like I was at a day spa, other than the whole ripping a baby from your gut part.  I will never forget the song playing when he made his arrival at 8:52 a.m.  There is nothing like the soulful Lauren Hill to welcome your child to the world ("Ex Factor" was the song from one of my favorite CD's of all time Miseducation of Lauren Hill).

 Here is Crusher just seconds after birth. 

 His official weight 8 pounds 4 oz. 

 As they put my insides back, I got to hold my new baby.  What a surreal experience.

 The thing I will remember most about this picture is the song playing in the background....  Alisha Key's "Empire State of Mind".  It makes such a difference having music playing during this experience.

 He is perfect in every way.  I can't express my gratitude enough for a strong, healthy baby.

 Randy headed down to the nursery while they continued to work on me.  He was so happy and relaxed this time around.

 Crusher's first bottle.

 Proud papa

 My boys kept me company while I waited to go to my room.  This is the most cuddling they've allowed me in months.

Patiently waiting to see Crusher.

 Ahhhh finally Hank got to see his new brother.

He has so much dark hair and his features seem so different from Hank and Max.  I kept checking his ID bands to make sure he was really my baby.

Max loves his brother.  The first thing he said was "Hello Crusher, I'm Max".

He loves to feed him, hold him, and hug him.  Max is an awesome big brother.

I can't believe I have 3 boys!! I feel like our family is complete now.

The nurses even gave him a mowhawk like his brothers.

It took us two days in the hospital to decide on his name.  I knew his name would probably be Sam about 3 months ago but I wanted to see him first.  Hank really wanted to name him Russell, another name I love, but Randy and I both decided he was without a doubt Sam.  Hank didn't take the news too well but he is learning to love it.

We had so many visitors.  The usual suspects came to the hospital multiple times.  Jeri had quality time with all 3 boys throughout the week.  She came to the rescue when the boys were tired of sitting at the hospital.

Even a trip to the ER after she smashed her finger in the car door couldn't keep this proud grandma away!

Of course Auntie Sarah was there as much a possible.  She also helped out with Hank and Max on multiple occasions.  I can't thank her enough for everything she did during the week.

 

Baby hungry much?

Jack made himself at home in my hospital room.  

He wasn't sure about the baby but he wanted to be close to me.

My sweet mama was there as much as she could be, but she had so much to do for the funeral.  This baby served as a positive distraction for sure. It was such a hard week for her.

She managed to stop by any spare second she could.  Larry had to get his Sam fix as well.

 

 Grandpa Curt made many visits.

My dad couldn't wait to show his grandson off to Chris and Missie.

 Principal Ross, aka Kate, took the day off from her responsibilities to be at the hospital.  It really meant a lot to have her there.

Grandpa Griff stopped by several times between his trips to the ER. 

He loves Sam Randall!

His Great Grandparents were well represented.

Grandma Yvonna

 Grandpa Sherm

Grandma Jerry

Auntie Kunz

Dyson

Isabel

Lucy

Scott

 The Bromley Family

Becky

Missie

 Shellie

 

Jessie and Crystal

Randy and I really tried to get a picture of everyone who came to the hospital but we missed pictures of Riley, Hayley, Phil, Colby, Dan, Brett, and Karla.  I knew we had a lot of support but sheesh, after posting all these pictures it is overwhelming.  We have so much love surrounding us.  I feel so lucky and blessed.

Sam is joining an amazing family.

I had the option of staying in the hospital an extra day but decided my family needed me at home.  The boys were so excited to take Sam home.

 I couldn't wait to get this tiny body dressed!  He has some amazing new outfits.

 Hank and I bought this outfit 4 months ago.  Sam loves it, can't you tell

 It is hilarious how tiny he looks in this huge carseat. 

 I have to mention how amazing Randy was during all this.  He was constantly running back and forth from the hospital to the school to give Hank his shot, to football practice, to preschool, then back home.  He completely took care of everything and when it was all said and done he said "being a mom blows!".  We are adjusting to life with 3 kids and it is crazy to say the least.  I am so lucky to have Randy as my partner through all of this.  I couldn't do it without him.

This post has taken every ounce of strength I have.  There is no way Sam can say I didn't take pictures of him!