Max...Our Growing Boy

He looks so grown up! We took this picture yesterday.

Mark was imitating Max's sporadic antics

Max is 3 weeks old! I can't believe we have made it this far! I haven't posted much, but Max is a lot harder to take care of now that he's on the outside! We have all started to get in the swing of things. I am still really tired, but it's been fun. There are no more Grandmas now, and Mark has gone back to work, so this week was tough and tiring - but we made it! Max is eating well and constantly growing. At his one week appointment, he was already 9 lbs. 3 oz. He doesn't have another appointment for another week and a half, so we will have an other update then. He doesn't like sleeping on his own, so he ends up sleeping on either me or Mark at times. However, he is getting better and better at sleeping in the bassinet. We think he has acid reflux, so I have been trying to monitor my diet to make sure I am not making it worse. We also got a wedge for him to sleep on that seems to be helping some. Hopefully this will continue to improve. Max changes everyday, so I just tried to post a lot of pictures to get up to date. I will try to update more regularly from now on, but with Max around, there are not guarantees!

Max loves to sleep on us. He likes it way better than sleeping in his bassinet!

Max with Uncle Todd.

Max was asleep like this and I couldn't help snapping a picure! He looks like he is just so tuckered out!
Sometimes when Max is having trouble going to sleep, Mark rocks him to sleep. Mark is becoming quite the rocking expert!

Welcome Baby Max!

We finally have officially met our new baby! Mark Thomas Lawrence, Jr., called "Max," was born August 7, 2009 at 6:16 p.m. He weighed 8 lbs 5 oz and was 21 inches long. He was strong and healthy from the beginning, kicking and screaming! We spent two days in the hospital. We arrived home Sunday afternoon and have been enjoying it ever since.

The first picture of Max with his mom.

Max's first picture with Daddy!

Our week 39 belly pictures, taken Thursday night before Max was born.

38 Weeks and Counting

The countdown is really on! We were 38 weeks on Thursday. I had another doctor's appointment on Friday, but we had not made any more progress; we are still 1 cm dilated and about 70% effaced. We have another appointment on Tuesday to see if we have made any more progress. Our doctor is going out of town from August 9 - 15, which is prime baby time for us, so we will be discussing the option of induction.

School starts back for me on Monday, so I am really looking forward to going back to work! My feet and ankles are swelling like crazy and my back has developed these lovely shooting pains, which Mark was so kind as to photograph for your viewing pleasure!



The waiting has become extraordinarily difficult, so Mark and I have begun a project: an incredibly difficult puzzle - probably the hardest puzzle that I have ever tried to put together. We wanted to make sure we got one that would take us a while and that would be difficult enough to take our mind off of things. Well, we definitely go that, and a whole lot more!

Antoher interesting development has been the onset of cravings. I haven't really experienced very many cravings, with the exception of a general craving for fruits and vegetables throughout most of my pregnancy. However, starting just a few days ago, I have been having cravings for very specific things. The other day I wanted chicken salad, then it was strawberries and kiwis, and now it is brunswick stew! I thought you were supposed to have cravings early in pregnancy, but I guess it's the opposite for me!


So, the belly continues to grow and the baby keeps getting stronger! Hopefully one day very soon we will all get to meet Baby Lawrence!

Too many things to tell....

We celebrated our first wedding anniversary on Sunday! Here are a couple of pics of our cute little cake we ate (or tried to - despite looking cute, it still tasted like cardboard!).




It's been a little while since our last post, so we have several things to report.

First of all, on the Friday following our ultrasound, we spoke with the doctor about what he saw. Dr. Elder said that everything looked "picture perfect" and that he estimated Baby Lawrence to weigh about 6 1/2 pounds at that point. Right now Dr. Elder is a little concerned that if I go all the way to my due date or beyond that Baby Lawrence will be quite a big boy!

Last Friday we had another appointment, at which time Dr. Elder checked me to see if we had any labor action going on, and we were dilated 1 cm and about 50% effaced. Baby Lawrence was still doing well; his heart beat was still nice and strong, and his movements were good.

On Sunday, we thought our time had finally come. I started having contractions around 6:00 p.m. and I finally timed them around 7:45. At that point, they were five minutes apart and lasting for about 35 seconds. We waited a little while, and when the contractions didn't stop, but only increased in length and strength, we called the doctor on call for my doctor's office, who put me through to the hospital. The nurse there said it definitely sounded like I was having contractions, but to try to stay home for a while and come in once they got longer and closer together. Well, around 11 we timed them again and they were 4 minutes apart and lasting for nearly a minute. They had also increased in strength, reaching a point where they were literally taking my breath away and making it difficult to walk or to stand upright. At that point, we decided to go to the hospital. After checking in, they hooked us up to a fetal monitor and to another monitor to measure my contractions. Sure enough, there they were - right on the screen. However, when the nurse checked, I was still at only 1 cm. So, then it became a waiting game. I sat through 3 hours of contractions, only to find out that nothing was happening! Well, almost nothing. I was still only dilated 1 cm, but I was effaced to nearly 80%. The doctor said to send me home with some Ambien so I could get 8 hours of good, deep sleep and then we would see what happened. When I woke up the next day, the contractions had stopped, leaving me very sore and even more disappointed. So, still no baby, but all signs are pointing to him coming soon. There have been several physical developments that signal labor is on its way, so keep your fingers crossed for us! We are both so very ready to have Baby Lawrence in our arms!

Here is a nice pic of the growing Buddha belly, all shiny with lotion!

Mark took this picture on Sunday when we were packing our things to go to the hospital! So this is my "I thought I was finally going to be a mom" picture.

And this is Mark's "Oh my God, I'm gonna be a dad" pic! Too bad we have more waiting to do!

35 1/2 Week Ultrasound

This is a picture of his left foot.

His "turtle"! Still a boy!

Baby Lawrence in profile

This is a closeup of his face. Right in the middle there is a triangle shape - that is his nose. Below that is a crescent shape - that is his mouth. The white mass that is down and to the left from his nose is his hands.


We had our last ultrasound today. Everything seemed to look good. He is measuring a bit ahead of schedule - 36 weeks and 3 days. His head and body measured close to 37 weeks, but his legs were about 35 weeks. I did not get to see the obstetrician today; I will see him Friday, so at that point he will give me a length and weight estimate and tell me what all of this means.

Clothes for Baby Lawrence

Ok, so we have a ton of baby clothes (thanks to all of our wonderful friends and family, and my awesome cousins in Orlando). But, I saw this and couldn't help myself! This is going to be Baby Lawrence's homecoming outfit. I love it!

34 Weeks

We are 34 weeks today! I had another doctor's appointment this morning. The baby has turned so that his back is to my left now. Up to this point, he seemed to prefer the right side. His head is still down (yay!). When the doctor checked the positioning of his head, he immediately started turning his head to the left and right (ouch!) and flailing his arms and legs. He still does not like for anyone to mess with him - not that I blame him! I can only imagine the fit this guy is going to pitch when he is born and has to be checked out. He seems to get stronger everyday and is still incredibly active. We scheduled another ultrasound for Monday, July 13. At that point, the doctor hopes to give us a more accurate idea of his weight and length so that we can predict what his birth size will be. Right now the doctor says his growth is right on target, so at 34 weeks, a developing baby typically is about 4 1/2 pounds. My next regular appointment in Friday, July 17.