Introducing John Maxwell

John Maxwell Wardlow

Born October 14, 2009

7 pounds 1 ounce

20 3/8 inches long

4:24 pm

Dark Brown Hair

Precious as EVER!

Three weeks ago we welcomed our second little angel boy in to the family! I am finally getting around to writing a blog all about sweet Max, the pregnancy and the birth. I obviously have a lot of catching up to do!!!

The Pregnancy: Max's pregnancy flew by and went very smoothly. I gained 25 pounds total and had more heartburn than I could have ever imagined! When I think back to this pregnancy I will always think of sleepless nights downing Tums! I assumed the constant heartburn would mean that Max would have hair, and sure enough he does! Overall, the pregnancy went by in a blink of an eye and as I stare at my new little baby boy I can't believe he is already here!

The Name: Oh, the name. If you know me very well you know I take the task of naming our children extremely seriously! To the point where I am 100% positive I drove many close family and friends absolutely insane. John is obviously my husband's name but it is also a big name in both of our families. My great grandfather was John Oliver Michael, hence the name of the wedding facility that my parents own and that I work at The John Oliver Michael House. John's mothers side of the family also had a John, whom my husband was named after. Maxwell is John's fathers middle name and "Max" is his great great grandfather's name. So this little sweetie has quite the "family name" and just BELIEVE me when I tell you it was a very hard decision. I always knew if we had another boy it would be a challenge and a challenge it was!!!

The Birthday: We were able to choose Max's birthday! Dr. Leach said we could induce as early as Sunday, October 11th. We wanted Thursday the 15th but the doctor made out of town plans (not cool!), so we basically were able to choose a date from Sunday the 11th through Wednesday the 14th. John wanted it to be close to the end of the week as possible and I wanted to either do Sunday or Wednesday. I wanted Sunday because I was ready to hold my sweet baby but I wanted Wednesday because it was closer to his due date. So we went with Wednesday, October 14th.

Interesting fact: When choosing an induction date it came down to the 11th and 14th. The 11th of October is Max Wardlow (John's great great grandfather's birthday) and the 14th is John's dad's birthday. So in the 365 days of this year it actually came down to the two days that are also the birth days of the two grandfather's who share Max's name. That sounds so confusing, did you follow that one!?

The Labor and Delivery: The labor and delivery went absolutely wonderful! Max's big brother Brooks paved quite the way for our little 7 pounder. I was induced around 8 am Wednesday morning. Contractions came IMMEDIATELY and I asked for the epidural shortly after. One contraction made me nauseated and that was enough for me to request the drugs! I do not tolerate pain very well, let's just be honest! We basically waited on the doctor to come check me. We thought he would be in at noon but he actually came at 2 pm. He broke my water and went back to his office. After he broke my water I kept telling my sister that I felt like something was happening but I decided to just wait on the nurse because she said she would be in to check me in 30 minutes. When she came to check me he was crowning! So, we called the doctor and the nurse prepared herself to deliver the baby without my doctor. Thankfully, Max held out and one doctor arrival and quick push later, he was born! PS: I am so pleased with my decision to switch doctors. I was sad to not have the same doc deliver both boys but Dr. Leach was awesome and I know he played a huge part in making the pregnancy and delivery go so great!

Afterwards: Funny thing about having a second child. For me, everything has been ten times easier. The pregnancy, the labor and delivery, recovery and nursing him. After I had Brooks I felt like everything was super fast and easy... until I had Max! I felt great shortly after his arrival and everything since then has gone very well. He is such a good baby! And Brooks is such a good big brother!

Big Brother Brooks: Brooks loves little Max so much. I often find him helping him with his pacifier, covering him up and mostly giving him slobbery open mouth kisses. The first few days at home were pretty rocky because Brooks had pink eye so he was not able to get close to Max. It was hard for him to understand why he couldn't get near him. Now he is used to him and calls him "Maxey" or "My Max." He is very protective of his little brother and while I have to constantly remind him to be gentle with Max, he has taken to him very well and I do not think of him as jealous at all. I feel like he is just as excited to have Max here as we are and he is a super sweet big brother. Yesterday I was putting makeup on in my bathroom and Max was in his bouncy. I looked over and Brooks was covering him with his blanket (which is a huge improvement, usually he takes his blanket away), and he leaned over and kissed Max on the forehead and said "I wuv you, Maxy." Talk about melting my heart!

I have a new computer that is photo free, but most of my readers have seen photos on FB or my sister's website. We are planning 1 month pics for little Max and I am so excited to get those done! I hope to be able to blog more often about our new little family of four but right now, I have to get back to my mom/wife/wedding planning duties!!!

Max at 34 weeks!!!

Today Brooks and I ventured to my OB for Max's 34-week check up. As we were driving to the doctor, it struck me that two weeks had passed since I had last been there. It felt more like 2 days and it is just crazy to me how fast this pregnancy has progressed. Wedding season is back and I am glad I am ready for this baby because the next five weeks are going to fly by.

Our little baby is about 4 pounds and growing just fine! He was so cute today when the nurse was checking his heartbeat. He would move from one side of my body to the other depending on where the nurse would squeeze the cold gel. My belly would literally go flat on one side and it felt so cool! I love it and I am going to miss that feeling! She had to chase him to get his little heartbeat.

One thing I have held on to this entire pregnancy is the fact that I do not want to be induced this go around. Well, I thought I didn't. But when I spoke with my doctor and John today we decided if the baby did not come before the week of his due date we would induce. I feel confident in the decision. There are many reasons why I changed my mind and I am super excited we will be able to plan it out again. The main reason I did not want to be induced was because I thought my episiotomy was a result of being induced. But that is not the case at all and the doctor assured me that more than likely I would not need that procedure with the second baby since we've been there done that, so to speak! He made the comment that he rarely cuts episiotomy's and does not do them routinely and he did not think it would be an issue.

Another reason we are going to be induced is because my labor went extremely fast with Brooks. I was induced at 8 am, my water broke at 1 pm and I shot up from 3 centimeters to 10 centimeters and delivered him by 2:30. The doctor said that with many (not all, but many) second labors the delivery tends to run about 2 hours shorter. That said, I would rather be in the hospital, WITH MY EPIDURAL and prepared for this baby than heading to the hospital once my water breaks. Plus, with John having to plan around work and us planning on Brooks staying with my parents it would be better to have everyone packed and ready to go!

So, that said I am a planner and do like for things to be "ready" so I feel better about this. All my reasons for not wanting to be induced were not medically in line so I don't have to worry about that anymore. And Brooks' labor went so smoothly.

So with many prayers in tow, and even more excitement, we head towards the final month of this pregnancy and are planning to have our sweet baby the week of the 12th. Lord and baby willing, it will all go smoothly and flawless and our decision will be the right one!!!

Let Me Hold You Longer...

Yesterday I ordered Karen Kingsbury's children's book, "Let Me Hold You Longer" from Amazon. Karen is the author of the Redemption and First Born Series' that I have been reading. This children's book was inspired by a poem in "Remember," one of five books in the Redemption Series.

In this book, the mother Elizabeth Baxter is struggling with the fact that her son is getting married and moving away. She also has four daughters and she talks about how "a daughter is a daughter for life, a son is a son until he takes a wife." (I say bull to that, but that's just me being bitter!) Anyway, this poem turned children's book talks about how as parents we always document our children's "firsts" but very rarely focus on their lasts. I was literally bawling through out the entire poem. So, yesterday I decided to order it and add it to Brooks' book collection.

I know all you mommy's out there will appreciate it. This book would be a great gift for a new baby, a baby shower or even a graduation gift! Enjoy...

Long ago you came to me, a miracle of firsts,
First smiles and teeth and baby steps, a sunbeam on the burst.
But one day you will move away and leave to me your past
And I will be left thinking of a lifetime of your lasts…

The last time that I held a bottle to your baby lips
The last time that I lifted you and held you on my hip.
The last night when you woke up crying, needing to be walked,
When last you crawled up with your blanket, wanting to be rocked.

The last time when you ran to me,s till small enough to hold.
The last time that you said you’d marry me when you grew old.
Precious, simple moments and bright flashes from your past
Would I have held on longer if I’d known they were your last?

Our last adventure to the park, your final midday nap,
The last time when you wore your favorite faded baseball cap.
Your last few hours of kindergarten, those last few days of first grade,
Your last at bat in Little League, last colored picture made.

I never said good-bye to all your yesterdays long passed.
So what about tomorrow-will I recognize your lasts?
The last time that you catch a frog in that old backyard pond.
The last time that you run barefoot across our fresh-cut lawn.

Silly, scattered images will represent your past.
I keep on taking pictures, never quite sure of your lasts…
The last time that I comb your hair or stop a pillow fight.
The last time that I pray with you and tuck you in at night.

The last time when we cuddle with a book, just me and you
The last time you jump in our bed and sleep between us two.
The last piano lesson, last vacation to the lake.
Your last few weeks of middle school, last soccer goal you make.

I look ahead and dream of days that haven’t come to pass.
But as I do, I sometimes miss today’s sweet, precious lasts…
The last time that I help you with a math or spelling test.
The last time when I shout that yes, your room is still a mess.

The last time that you need me for a ride from here to there.
The last time that you spend the night with your old tattered bear.
My life keeps moving faster, stealing precious days that pass,
I want to hold on longer-want to recognize your lasts…

The last time that you need my help with details of a dance.
The last time that you ask me for advice about romance.
The last time that you talk to me about your hopes and dreams.
The last time that you wear a jersey for your high school team.

I’ve watched you grow and barely noticed seasons as they pass.
If I could freeze the hands of time,I’d hold on to your lasts.
For come some bright fall morning, you’ll be going far away.
College life will beckon in a brilliant sort of way.

One last hug, one last good-bye, one quick and hurried kiss.
One last time to understand just how much you’ll be missed.
I’ll watch you leave and think how fast our time together passed.
Let me hold on longer, God, to every precious last.

Ride Ride and Slide Slide!!!

This weekend I had a Saturday afternoon meeting so I left Brooks with John. He loves being outside with his Daddy more than anything. On this particular day, I left with him playing in the Suzuki while John was finishing up a welding job on the muffler. Man, that sounds so redneck.

Anyway, he was in heaven playing in daddy's "ride ride" as he calls it. He usually gets upset when I leave but as I handed him his juice and crackers to snack on while John finished up he said, "Tay tu Mommy, bye bye!" No hesitation this time.

As I was driving home John kept calling me wanting me to hurry and watch what Brooks could do. He was on the neighbors playground set, a BIG play set, climbing up a very tall ladder and booking it down the slide as fast as he could, over and over and over again! Although he has climbed ladders and gone down slides before, he just seemed so much more grown up and capable this time. Just another sweet reminder that that he is growing up too fast and I really can't stop it!

I captured some cute pics on my phone of him in all of his slide glory... dirt caked on the face! Another reason he likes being outside with Daddy... Daddy lets him get dirty! Mommy let's him get dirty too, it just seems like he ALWAYS gets dirty when he is left with John!

Sliding on his tummy, whichever way he fell or twisted he went that way. As long as he was going FAST, he was happy!

Getting ready for take off!

Very dirty and very happy little face!

New Prayer

I interrupt my current reading session to bring you a precious prayer! I am currently reading the First Born Series by Karen Kingsbury. This summer I read the Redemption series, which I highly recommend, this is her follow up series to Redemption. For those of you who are not aware, Karen Kingsbury books are Christian Fiction and often quote Bible verses.

Anyway, every night before we turn out the lights we say a little prayer with Brooks. My favorite part of his bedtime is when he says, "Amen," even if he says it all slurry through his pacifier! Anyway, I was reading my book last night and read a small prayer that I love and want to memorize so I can say it to Brooks. Thought I would share it with you all, it is so simple but sweet...

"God, please now my future see, make it clear where I should be. Open windows, close the doors, not my will, my God, but yours."

Seven Years Ago, Today...

Seven years ago today, I was 20 years old working at the Georgia Club as a cart girl. It was the summer after my Sophomore year in college and I was two weeks away from making my big, exciting move to Nashville (well, technically Murfreesboro, but Nashville sounds way better!) I worked a long shift at the golf course on this day, seven years ago. My friend Kelly Marlowe talked me in to going downtown Athens with her that night. I was tired and REALLY just wanted to stay home but I was coaxed in to a night out on the town.

John was 22 and had moved from Athens to Arkansas where he was working on a rice farm. He was living the simple life, by the river in an old cabin. He came home to Georgia to help his parents move back to their old stomping grounds in Arksansas. He had gone downtown Athens the night before and was worn out from that night out. His friends talked him in to another night out out on the town...

I was wearing a black baby doll type shirt and a knee length blue jean skirt. Both conservative and cute but not my style right now! I had on a circular turqouise necklace I bought from Target. I loved that necklace!

Kelly DRUG me to Firehouse, a bar on Clayton Street. The first hour or so there was pretty dull until we found a group of folks we knew and starting hanging out with. I do remember sitting at a table and literally wanting to fall asleep I was so tired. Slowly, but surely, August 3rd turned to August 4th and it was two hours until closing time. I was talking to some random guy because I noticed he had a military tag on and I made some comment about it so he stopped me to talk. He was very friendly but he just kept talking and frankly, he was boring. I was looking for Kelly and thinking about how I was going to get away from this guy when I turned around and saw a vision... oh, I'm so dramatic. Little did I know that vision was...

MY FUTURE HUSBAND!

What I really saw was an old worn out Stetson that some guy was wearing. I turned back around to the guy who was still rambling and said, "Hang on one second." I turned around and walked right up to John. (So, I picked him up, just for the record!)

Well, at the time, I was not aware he would be my husband but he was standing there, tall and thin and very cute, and very tan. I remember everything he was wearing that night but the only thing that caught my eye was the old worn out Stetson. I had a "thing" for the cowboy/country look if you will! A phase, some people call it. He was wearing Levi's and a short sleeve button down shirt. He remembers not particularly liking what he was wearing that night. I walked up to him, took off his hat (how annoying, why did I do that?) and he said, "Why does every girl take off my cowboy hat."

Kind of embarrased, I put the hat back on his head and turned to walk away. "Wait!" he said. I turned back around and we started chatting. I remember trying to listen to what he was saying. Something about his dad being in a band and him coming home to help his parents move to Arkansas where he was living. I told him that I was just a couple of weeks away from moving to Tennessee. But all I could think about the whole time we were talking was, "I wonder if he's wearing cowboy boots." I remember I was standing very close to him because the bar was crowded and I really wanted to see if he was wearing cowboy boots. He remembers me awkwardly looking down and wondered why I was staring at his feet. It was dark and crowded, so it took me a while to figure it out but finally I saw them... Yes! Cowboy boots! (My my, I was young and apparently this was a very important attribute at the time!)

Kelly remembers me finding her and saying, "Kelly, guess what? I found my cowboy!" Can you believe seven years ago, RIGHT NOW, I was getting off of work and was about to meet my husband and the father of my two precious little boys? What a GREAT DAY! I'm SO glad John was wearing the hat that caught my attention and I am so glad Kelly coaxed me in to going out that night!

And just for the record, we must repeat the pick up line he used when he called me two days after we met. Kelli Magee, you remember this because you were with me! He called and my voicemail picked up and he said, "Hey girl, I was just wondering if you saw the sunset today, cause I ordered it for ya... this is John." Oh, wow... let's just say he better be glad he was wearing that Stetson!

Brooks wearing the hat that brought his mommy and daddy together!

And, We're Back!

As I sit here at my computer tonight, I can't help but smile. The laundry is completely done (and has stayed that way ever since I decided it would;)), supper for tomorrow night is planned and ready to be cooked, my carpet just got cleaned, my husband just cut our grass and edged our yard. I bought pretty new plants and new mulch and weed-ate (ha!) for a good 4 hours. My hands are sore but they are worth it. I have totally junk-proofed our house. Like totally got rid of JUNK. I sent about 15 bags of clothes to good will. My husband and I cleaned out the garage and are getting ready to paint and pressure wash it to garage heaven! My floors our clean, my baby room for Max is set up and ready along with his large entourage of clothes from Brooks, Jack and Gabe. My closet is so organized. And the clutter is gone. THE CLUTTER IS GONE. THE CLUTTER IS GONE. If there is a piece of clothing that is not in season it is neatly boxed, labeled and will soon be stored and I am most happy about my new wrapping paper and "craft supplies" boxes! Oh, and today... we got our house BACK ON THE MARKET! WOO HOO!

Today, I was so tired of cleaning I called my neice and my mom in for reinforcement. Baleigh played with Brooks and mom and I tag-teamed and got finished in a flash. Thank you!!!

So, as you can see, for the past month and a half I have been nesting like I've never nested before. John calls it OCD but I call it just being a wife and mother. I have totally re-vamped my day, the way I do things. My schedule is so wild with a baby and a job that gives me so much freedom. (An awesome job at that!) I have taken up weekly meal planning around my coupon cutting. I try to get all of my wedding work done in the morning that way I stay on top of the emails and to-do's and do not get behind. It also helps me take new bride tasks and calls through out the day without getting behind. I finally figured out how to keep the laundry down and keep the house nice on a daily basis. No, it's not perfect all the time but the goal is that when it does need to get perfect fast, it's a whole lot easier to do!

In the midst of all of this I have also managed to get Brooks well acquainted with his big boy bed (he prefers a double!) and have even introduced him to the potty. All of this to prepare for our little guy who will arrive in October. My main goal was to get all of this done by the end of August because once September arrives the fall wedding season will be full-fledged and simultaneously, Max will arrive. I am hoping to coordinate all weddings up until the day I go in to the hospital. In the four weeks before Max is scheduled to arrive we have l 6 weddings. I hope to do all of them up until the day after he is due... which means it would be great if he came a day or so after his due date. And I know that is a far stretch but a girl can wish. No, I won't be able to handle the weddings all by my lonesome because the leg work is constant but I have a great family who has got my back! Honestly, the more weddings I miss the harder it is for me because instead of just executing the wedding I have to worry about not being there and passing all of the info on to someone else. It always works out fine because my sisters or mom take over and they are AWESOME, I would just rather take care of it myself since that is my job!

So, even though I haven't been slammed with weddings the past few weeks, I have managed to be productive and stay busy. I'm trying to plan at least 2-3 fun activities a week for Brooks to do whether it be a play date or just a fun getaway with mommy! He just has so much energy these days it is absolutely impossible to keep him contained for too long.

I am hoping all of this new organization will make things go smoother for our move which will be... when? Who knows, but if the house is clean and organized and practically already boxed up it will be whole lot easier with a newborn. Besides the fact that right after fall wedding season mania comes the holidays and then Brooks and John's birthday. I am nothing more than SO excited for this time in our life and I just want to be prepared.

In the midst of all of this, Brooks had definitely changed before our eyes. John and I crack up at him on a daily basis. His personality just gets more fun every day. He talks constantly, runs everywhere he goes and keeps his mama on her toes! I can hardly clean up one mess before he makes another! Just today he took his diaper off on his own, pooped on the bathroom floor and then got into my makeup and spread my new powder all over the bathroom floor. He won't poop in a slightly wet diaper and he tells me "tee tee" AFTER he does the duty. Oh and tee tee means #1 and #2 to Brooks. So, where was I during all of this, you ask? Cooking dinner. It got quiet and I knew something was off. So, I head to his room to find a little trace of powder down my just freshly mopped hall floor. But I am happy to say he is learning to clean up his toys and when he makes a mess he is not supposed to, I make him help me clean it up. I'm hoping this will help him make less messes, although he thinks it's funny to help me clean and I often find him running the mop or broom across the kitchen floor.

My next big project the baby comes is to put a little education in our daily routine. We always read to him before bedtime but since I decided not to put him in a little school for a few hours, a couple days a week (like we were contemplating,) I'd like to have a time during the day where I teach him. I've thought about having a theme every week like alphabet, farm animals, numbers, etc., and do our weekly activities around that. This may be a bit ambitious with a newborn on the way but if I keep it simple and fun, I think it would be good for Brooks. Luckily my oldest sister is a teacher so maybe she can give me some ideas!

Well, peace out for now! Hopefully my posts for now on will be filled with baby news and cute pics of our precious little guy! And if you got to the end of this with out falling asleep... MAJOR PROPS TO YOU!