The Cape: Old Silver Beach

In my last post (Max turns one month old!) I mentioned we are moving to Utah! Matt accepted a fantastic role at a start-up company. We have so much to look forward to, like living near family, buying a home, settling down, living on the West Coast, living in the mountains - things we love. But, we are also very sad to leave the East Coast. We love Boston and living in New England. We love living so close to Matt's parents. We have made such wonderful friends who are so fun, driven, kind and interesting. I love living so close to a park where fantastic mothers with all different backgrounds gather with their sweet children. 

We have been trying to soak up as much of New England and Boston as we possibly can. Having a toddler and a newborn sometimes make our adventures shorter and slower, but we have them anyway. 

This weekend, we decided to explore the Cape. Cape Cod. Matt's friend at work told him about a beach called Old Silver Beach that is nice for toddlers. It was perfect. The beach was sandy, versus rocky like many east coast beaches. The water was warm and shallow. Skye could play to her hearts content without us fearing about her drowning in deep water. She explored the water and sand for hours gathering rocks, finding crabs and wading in the water. We also ran into some friends from the city that have a little girl Skye's age, so we were able to have adult conversations while Skye played with a little friend. 

Skye is so funny. If we asked her to look at the camera and smile, she would look down. Toddlers. 

Matt and I even found time to grab a selfie. The only way we get pictures of the two of us these days. 

Little Max man slept the whole time in the wrap. Thank goodness for wraps. 

 Matt and Skye were exploring looking for crabs and minnows, they ended up cutting their feet on sharp rocks. Skye was so brave as the lifeguard bandaged her feet up, and just ate her pretzels calmly. And she's actually complained about the wound less than Matt has (jk Matt ;)) 

After the beach we went to lunch at a fun place called, Casino, that has its own private beach. We initially thought we would play there too, but the wounded decided against it (Skye and Matt), and so did the exhausted mom (me). So we headed home. But of course we couldn't leave the Cape without grabbing ice cream! Our friend from the beach told us about a place called Summerset Creamery. We feasted on delicious homemade ice cream. Then we jumped back in the car and drove home while listening to music, and some of us even had the luxury of falling asleep.  

Max turns one month old!

It's hard to believe our little guy is a month old already. He is the sweetest baby and has such a calm, relaxed personality. There have been some long nights and rough hours of course. But there have been even more times of pure bliss and joy as I looked down and saw peacefully asleep or curiously looking up at me as if he remembered me from another time or place. He watches as I walk around the room, and there are times when he is crying, and as soon as he sees me, he stops. It is a reminder to me of the importance of motherhood, and the profound impact I have to soothe and comfort my children when they are worried and concerned. I try to remember that I need to put down my to-do list and just be present for my children when they need me, and even when they aren't anxiously crying or fretting, it's important to sit down and be present for them. 

We have come up with a several nicknames for our little Max man. Mr. Max. Little guy. Little man. My little Max. Skye calls him "Maxie." 

I know the following three pictures probably look the exact same to the casual observer, but to me, they are SO different, and as his mother, I decided to post all three of them, because they make me smile, and remind me that he has a little personality. A little personality that I am so excited to come to love and know. It will be fun to see how he continues to help our family take shape. He's already made life deeper, richer and more meaningful for each one of us. 

I love his look of, "I have no idea what it is going on, so I'll just sit here as straight as I can, while you point that thing in my face."

He often has his brows furrowed, like he's contemplating the meaning of the universe. It cracks us up. 

My friend, Heather, posts monthly updates of her children, using the following milestone headings. I'm going to copy her (hope you don't mind, Heather!), and do the following for Max. 

Eating: Little Max man is a superb eater. He learned to latch really quickly in the hospital, which in turn helped my milk to come in quickly, and thus helped him gain weight superbly well. At each doctor's visit the medical staff is always amazed at how much weight he has gained. It's about 2 oz. a day. At his one month visit, after mentioning his great weight gain, the nurse practitioner asked me if I was exhausted from feeding so much. My answer, "Yes." But of course, totally worth it. And because he eats so well, he typically sleeps for long stretches.  

Activity: Max really likes to eat and sleep, but I think he really loves to be awake. He can stay up for crazy long stretches of time for a newborn. 3+ hours. I think he just loves all the activity going around him. His sister is pretty entertaining of course. He seems to listen to what we are saying, and loves watching what we are doing. Because of this, I've had to be very careful to ensure he doesn't get overstimulated, or else he can't put himself to sleep and just cries from exhaustion. After about an hour of wake time, I try to take him to quiet area, or wear him in a wrap if we are leaving our home to help him settle down to go to sleep. 

Sleeping: When Max was 6 days old, he slept seven hours at night! I also slept those seven hour without realizing it. It was amazing! And also painful - as any mother who has nursed knows :) I felt so fantastic that day, like I could run a marathon. Sadly, and also for the betterment of my milk supply - he has yet to sleep that long since. He usually sleeps from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. and then wakes up around 4:30 a.m., and then sleeps until 6:30 a.m. or 7:30 a.m. So a pretty normal, healthy newborn sleep schedule I'd say.

Doctor Visit Stats: 

- Weight: 11.2 oz

- Height: 22.25 inches

Likes, Dislikes and Other Milestones: Max man doesn't love his pacifier, but he'll take it to help him calm down. He loves it when we talk to him, and watches us closely. He is comforted by both Matt and I (Skye was only comforted by me). The other day I caught Skye giving Max his pacifier, he loved it. He would spit it out and she would put it back, while lovingly talking to him, saying things like "Here Maxie. Here is your "fier"." I melted from the sweetness and was sad my phone was at the other end of the apartment, and I couldn't capture the moment without interrupting it. 

He doesn't like bath time, something his sister loved. 

He loves being worn in a wrap (I have Solly Baby Wrap, which I like for the most part, but it is complicated to figure out how to wear for me.)

Things to Look Forward to: I haven't posted about this yet, but we are moving! To Utah! We move in two weeks. Matt was offered a fantastic position at a start-up company. It is bittersweet as we really love Boston and all our wonderful friends here and we love being three hours away from Matt's parents. But we are also looking forward to finally settling down, buying a home and living near family. Max has a lot to look forward to! He also has his first Fourth of July coming up, and a family beach holiday in Carlsbad, CA. 

And here is one last picture that makes me laugh. It's like a blue steel look or something. Oh, Max! Your little faces make every hard moment totally worth it. We love you!

Trusting in God

This scripture has been floating through my mind the past few weeks.

34 O Lord, I have trusted in thee, and I will trust in thee forever. I will not put my trust in the arm of flesh; for I know that cursed is he that putteth his trust in the arm of flesh. Yea, cursed is he that putteth his trust in man or maketh flesh his arm.

35 Yea, I know that God will give liberally to him that asketh. Yea, my God will give me, if I ask not amiss; therefore I will lift up my voice unto thee; yea, I will cry unto thee, my God, the rock of my righteousness. Behold, my voice shall forever ascend up unto thee, my rock and mine everlasting God. Amen.

2 Nephi 4:34-35

Not only have we welcomed a new baby into our home, we also have had to make some difficult decisions about where we will raise our children, and the next steps for Matt's career during the past few weeks. As we took one step forward and then another, and then another in faith, our path began to become clearer and clearer.

Because I'm feeding hours on end each day, I have a lot of time to browse through things on my phone. I'm grateful for inspirational messages like the following that helped to illuminate my heart and mind. These quotes were tender mercies that I needed to read as we made difficult decisions or I went through a difficult postpartum moment. Just thought I'd share these here in case they are inspirational for anyone else, and so I can remember them in the future:

Aunt Natalie

My sweet sister, Natalie, came to visit us two weeks after Max was born. She is such a lovely person inside and out. 

I'm so grateful for her sweet, loving personality. It was lovely to have her in our home. My only regret is that she came so soon after I had a baby, so I was kind of confined to the house (feedings, diaper changes, naps and all that newborn goodness). 

^^^Skye loves her baby brother so much. She's pretty gentle with him, but sometimes she isn't aware of how strong she is compared to him, so I have to monitor things pretty closely. 

^^^One afternoon when I was feeding Max, Skye came in and sat down in the room I was in and was playing on Natalie's phone. She was deeply focused on what I can only imagine was a Hindi toddler show of some kind based on the songs, sounds and images I saw coming from the screen. She loved it. 

^^^We love Aunt Natalie! Come back any time!

Memorial Day

Max and I came home from the hospital the day before Memorial Day. Carrie, my mother-in-law, was there to welcome us home with Skye. 

The next day, Max and I rested while Opa, Matt and Skye went for a bike ride around the city. After naps we went to Concord for dinner and had ice cream at Kimball Farms (best ice cream around - mint and cookies is the flavor to try!)

Here are a few pictures we took: 

^^^That neck position can't be comfortable. Don't worry. It was adjusted quickly after the picture was taken. 

^^^My two kids (!!!)

^^^Colonial Inn, where we had dinner, is absolutely darling. 

^^^The coloring is about to begin. 

^^^We love Mimi, and are so grateful for all the love and help she has given us over the last few months especially!

Introducing our Baby Max

On Wednesday, May 20 at 1:40 p.m. we met our beautiful baby boy. Maxwell Oran Nelson. We wanted our son to have a strong, meaningful name. We both fell in love with the name Maxwell months ago. We loved the fact that it was a Scottish name like Skye's name, and we both really love Elder Neal A. Maxwell. Oran is Matt's middle name, after his great grandfather. 

^^^Our perfect little boy. 

Max is the sweetest, most mellow baby I have ever met. I know that could all change since he is a newborn, but so far he's just an angel. I've been able to recover very quickly, and I owe it to Max. He let's me sleep and rest a lot. He just loves to be held and cuddled. I love kissing him and holding him close. He loves to be talked to, and meets my eyes and listens whenever I talk to him. 

Here are some pictures of memories I never want to forget. 

^^^Just moments before meeting our Max.  

I had to have a c-section with Skye (labor did not progress). I was given an 80 percent chance of having to have a repeat c-section even if I attempted natural delivery. After much thought, I decided I needed to schedule the c-section. I'm so glad I did. He was sideways at delivery, and I feel like I saved Max and I a lot of traumatic potential issues. I'm so grateful for modern day medicine and procedures. 

^^^Look at this sweet face. Just seconds after being born. He is just perfection. We were in the OR. I couldn't hold him, of course, so I just stared at him in awe while Matt cuddled him. 

^^^I love post feeding smiles. Drunk on milk. 

^^^Sweet little face. 

^^^I loved being able to cuddle Max for hours and hours in the hospital. It was so healing and special. 

^^^Watching Matt and Max together melts my heart. 

^^^I am so grateful for my in-laws. They took care of Skye during the four days I was in the hospital. They drove us back to their home in Connecticut, and let us spend a week with them to help with Skye while I recovered. Not holding Skye for three weeks has been one of the most difficult parts of having a c-section. And they really helped her to feel safe, secure and loved. 

They shower our little Max with love, and it warms my heart seeing them hold and bond with him. 

^^^When Skye came to the hospital to meet her baby brother I made sure to first show her a lot of love and attention before introducing her to Max. This included letting her have her favorite snack - granola bars.

^^^Watching these two together is my favorite thing. I am so excited to watch their bond and relationship grow. 

^^^Skye adores her brother. 

^^^One of the first things she did after meeting her brother is name all his body parts on his face - including his nose :)

^^^My family of four. My heart bursts with love when we are together. It feels like we have always been a family of four, like Max has always been here. 

^^^His baby smile and relaxed position made me smile in the hospital. I would often catch him in this position. 

Our hospital stay was pure bliss, despite the surgery and all the pain that comes along with having a baby.  Nothing compares to peace and love that radiant from my sweet, little new baby. 

The lines to Celine Dion's "A New Day Has Come" (cheesy, I know) have kept floating through my head since meeting my Max: 

Let the rain come down and wash away my tears

Let it fill my soul and drown my fears

Let it shatter the walls for a new sun

A new day has come, 

I see a light in your eyes

All in the eyes of the boy

I cant believe

I've been touched by an angel with love

I was so nervous to have a second baby. I was so nervous about having a boy. And then I met him, and immediately everything seemed just as it should be. He is my baby boy. And I am his mommy. And that is just how it was always meant to be.