So...I blinked and my baby is 3 months old.

So somehow my baby is already 3 months old. Umm, excuse me...wasn't he just barely born? When did this happen? John put Max in his pajamas the other night and brought him down in a 3-6-month-sized sleeper. And it fits him. I may have fought back a few tears at how fast my little guy is growing. Yep. I'm one of those moms who cries when her baby moves up a size in clothes. 

Max had his two-month appointment with the pediatrician a couple of weeks ago and apparently I produce super milk because our little dude is, as they say, growing like a weed. (Also, little man had to get his first round of shots. THE HORROR. I cried all the way to the pediatrician's office thinking about it. And even though I totally stepped out of the room when the nurse was doing them (don't worry, John stayed in with him!) I could still hear his sad little anguished, betrayed cries in the hall and couldn't stop the tears from coming. The nurse gave me a hug when she saw me. I am awesome.) Anywho, here are his stats from birth until now:

BIRTH, 9/21/2012

Weight: 7 lbs. 6 oz.

Height: 20.5 inches

TWO DAYS OLD, 9/25/2012

Weight: 7.17 lbs. (24th percentile)

Height: 20.47 inches (68th percentile)

Head Circumference: 13.8 inches (27th percentile)

TWO WEEKS OLD, 10/8/2012

Weight: 8.16 lbs. (27th percentile)

Height: 20.96 inches (54th percentile)

Head Circumference: 14.6 inches (42nd percentile)

TWO MONTHS OLD, 11/28/2012

Weight: 12.79 lbs. (68th percentile)

Height: 24.41 inches (89th percentile)

Head Circumference: 16.1 inches (68th percentile)

Y'all. He weighs as much now as I did when I was a year old. And don't worry that in another month, he'll probably be halfway to being as tall as I am. So I guess when you combine my and John's genes you get super tall, super healthy, super CUTE babies. Because let's be real here, my baby is quite possibly the cutest baby ever born. (Get a load of those chubber thighs...squeeaaa!!! I love them.)

Max has started smiling a lot and is almost to the point of laughing. And can I just say, those little smiles of his can probably cure all kinds of diseases and probably would have gotten Mitt Romney elected if he would have used him in his campaign. (Ha! Political jokes!) It has become my and John's mission in life to get this kid to smile, and we resort to all kinds of shenanigans to get him to do so. I'm sure he thinks we are the biggest idiots ever and only smiles to amuse us...but it works. I mean, just LOOK at this face! I die!

Another reason my baby is pretty much a rock star? He has been sleeping in five- to seven-hour stretches at night for the past several weeks. We finally broke down and put him in his own room at night after having him in with us in a cradle (that my awesome husband and dad made for him, might I add) for the first six weeks of his life, and I think that has made all of the difference. He is not exactly a...quiet...sleeper, shall we say. When he was in our room, I would wake up to every grunt, squeal and whinny. (Seriously, he makes this one noise that sounds like a horse whinnying! Who is this kid?!) And when I woke up, I would turn the light on which probably in turn woke him up, yada yada yada. And then he got to the point where he'd roll over during the night and get his hands and feet stuck in the slats of the cradle and wake up crying. So yeah. Babies in their own rooms is where it's at. And baby monitors are little angelic pieces of technology. 

I finally feel like I am getting this mothering thing down. In all honesty, the first month was super rough for me. I was healing myself while trying to take care of this little stranger, on top of which I was dealing with some pretty nasty baby blues. The whole bonding thing also didn't happen as fast as I expected it to, which was really weird for me because I felt so bonded to my little guy while I was pregnant with him. I tell John all the time that I kind of feel like I was cheated out of that first month and didn't enjoy it nearly as much as I should have. But I am taking full advantage now and breaking all sorts of those so-called "rules" that are in all of the parenting books. Do I rock my baby to sleep? You betcha. Do I let him sleep in my arms? Totally. Do I still demand feed? Yep. Do I pretty much not let him cry longer than a few minutes at a time? Maybe. OK, so I admit that I might possibly be spoiling this little one...but I really can't look at that face and not want to make him happy every second of his life.

Happy 3 months, little bug.

Max's Blessing

Our little Max's blessing day was on November 25th, the Sunday after Thanksgiving. We spent Thanksgiving up in Logan with Johnny's family this year, so needless to say I spent the days leading up to when we went up there cleaning our house like a mad woman. Consequently, I have learned that trying to clean while also taking care of an infant does not always work out quite how you want it to. At least he seemed to like the sound of the vacuum, so I had that. 

We have 1:00 church, so I tried to time everything just perfectly so that Max would be clean, fed and tired by the time sacrament meeting rolled around. He was pretty grumpy all morning and I was sure that he would scream all during the blessing, but he must have known that what was happening was kind of a big deal (or he had help from some sort of heavenly being) because he was pretty much an angel baby during the blessing. And I have to say, my Johnny gave him the most beautiful blessing I have ever heard. I have never felt more like a real live grown-up than when I realized it was my husband up there blessing my baby. I have arrived, people. 

After sacrament, we invited the bazillions of people who came to support our little family back to our house for some grub. People were PACKED in our house. I was running around like a mad woman, yet again, trying to talk to everyone, coercing groups of people into taking pictures so we could commemorate who was there, feeding my seemingly starving child and plotting how to magically make my house bigger. In the meantime, most of the food was eaten and I was reminded again of the joy of motherhood--not ever getting to eat when you want to. Ha.

All of the men who were in the circle

John's family

My family

One of the things I was most excited about was getting a four-generation picture of all of the living John Morreys since John's grandpa was in town. As I mentioned back when we found out we were pregnant with a boy, our little John Max is the seventh John Morrey. We have since found out that all seven of the John Morreys also happen to be the firstborn in their families...sorry, son, now the pressure's all on you to give the world John Morrey VIII. 

John Douglas Morrey (my father-in-law), John Max Morrey, John Scott Morrey and John Rolf Morrey. That's a lot of Johns in one picture.

I think it's kind of funny that you have all of these John Morreys who look just like each other and then BAM...there's some little stranger who looks just like me but is posing as one of them. I guess those Stapley genes are pretty strong.

All in all, it was a wonderful day and Max was such a good little baby for most of it. Only once everyone was gone did the screaming begin. He saves all of the good stuff for John and me. But we just love him and are so happy he's ours.

Zonked on the couch once everyone had left

One month already?!

So somehow, our little Max is already a month old! I have to take pride in the fact that I don't think we have screwed up our son too badly yet. :) This has been probably the most challenging, difficult month of my entire life, but that is another post for another time. Sometimes I look down at Max and can't believe he's really mine and that I miraculously gave birth to him. But he is and I did and he sure is a cute little thing. (Like, for real, he is cute. I was terrified that I would have an ugly baby. Ha.)

I kind of love that his cheeks are getting chubby.

Yeah...pretty sure he gets bored spending all day with just Mom. 

Here are a few facts about Mr. Max at one month:

• He eats about every 2-3 hours (more like every 2 hours lately), but he acts hungry ALL THE TIME. This makes for a very frustrated mama sometimes when I can't figure out if he's really hungry or if something else is going on. I am a slave to this boy. He also falls asleep nursing pretty much every time he eats, so feeding him can take a loooooooooooooooong time. But he is a good little eater and is gaining weight well, so I shall not complain. (Well, let's be honest...I do complain and nursing is definitely not the easiest thing I've ever done, but I'm glad he's a healthy little thing.)
• He's a loud little boy. He grunts all the time. And he's a very noisy sleeper. We have him in our room in a cradle right now, and thankfully by now I've kind of gotten used to all of his little sounds, but the first couple of days were a little rough and I woke up at every squeak and squeal. 
• He's a feisty little thing and has a good set of lungs on him. (That's code for he cries a lot.) We think he has infant reflux and is also a bit colicky, so he is what you might call a fussy baby most days. He spits up a lot (out of his nose and mouth, poor little guy--we go through five or six burp cloths a day and his clothes are never spit-up free) and also poops more than any baby in the history of the world. John is so proud.
• He LOVES to take baths. He cries when we take him out.
• He has a really strong neck already and can hold his head up fairly well. I tried tummy time the other day to see how that would go since he does so well with the neck strength...let's just say that he is not a fan.
• I adore his hair. I was expecting a bald baby, so when he came out with that little mohawk I was shocked. He has developed a bit of a rat tail in the back, so perhaps it's time for a trim?
• Most days he doesn't like to give me much of a break--when he's not nursing, most of the time he likes to be held and sometimes he'll only take a nap if I'm holding him. Or sometimes (like yesterday and today) he decides he doesn't need to take a nap at all until he completely wears himself out.
• He likes to sleep on his tummy on Mom or Dad's chest.
• Apparently there is something very interesting about the white blinds in our family room, because he loves to stare at them. He's starting to be more alert during the day and is very curious about everything around him. Sometimes when he's fussy it's because he wants to be facing out so he can have a good look around. 
• He has taken it upon himself to pee on Mom and Dad on multiple occasions. Changing his diaper can be a bit treacherous...the other day he pooped twice and peed twice while I was in the middle of changing him, little stinker. 
• John and I can't get over how cute our little guy is. We are constantly staring at his little face and laughing at the noises he makes. We can't wait until he starts to interact with us more and we get to see what his personality is like.

John Max Morrey

I realize I'm a little late with this blog post, but better late than never, right? John and I are very happy to introduce the newest addition to our little family:

John Max Morrey

Friday, September 21, 2012

1:15 a.m.

7 lbs. 6 oz.

20 1/2 inches

Welcome to the world, Mr. Max. :)

P.S. I will write more about his birth and first month of life soon...right now this boy is barely giving me time to shove some food down my throat and throw on a T-shirt and jeans! Who knew such a little guy could be so demanding?! 

39 weeks & 3 days

You guys. I am four days away from my due date. FOUR DAYS. Here's my lovely self at 39 weeks, lest you should be wondering what I look like at this point:

It's kind of hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that really, whenever he's ready this little boy could make his appearance. I've been having pre-labor symptoms for about the last week, so every day I think "This could be the day!" and then, nope, just kidding. He'll come when he comes, I suppose.

Things I am most looking forward to:

• Holding and kissing and snuggling my little boy, of course. And finally getting to see what he looks like!
• The baby clothes! Oh, for the love of all that is holy, the baby clothes. I am especially looking forward to putting him in the little Halloween onesies and sleepers I got at baby showers. I can't even handle it. (Oh, and don't worry that some stores have their Christmas stuff out already...I am in trouble. I somehow managed to hold myself back from purchasing anything just yet, but one store had teeny tiny pants with a Santa Claus face ON THE BUM. Do you even know how much I love little cartoon characters/animals/jolly-old-fat-men on diaper bums??? I am slowly dying as I type this.)
• Sleeping on my back without worrying that I am cutting off the oxygen to my baby. And laying on my stomach. And being able to get out of bed without rolling my way out like a walrus. I'm sure I have never been more attractive to John.
• Eating all the carbs I want. I haven't talked about this on the blog, but I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes back in July. I have a very, very mild case and luckily have been able to completely manage it with diet, but pricking my finger four times a day to check my blood sugar and having to basically be on a diet while pregnant has not been the most fun thing ever. I'm making a mental list of things I want to eat/drink as soon as I'm clear to do so. First on the list is a giant bottle of Dr. Pepper--which, after consuming, will probably put me into a sugar coma for the next three months. But seriously. Sometimes I make John order a Dr. Pepper when we're out to eat just so I can take a couple of sips and get my "fix." Oy. Maybe I need help.
• Becoming a mother. And watching John become a father. I can't wait to see John's face when our little one is finally here and he gets to hold him for the first time.
• Not feeling nauseous all the time. I have never fully gotten over the whole morning sickness thing, oh lucky me. My anti-nausea medicine are what I like to call "little white pills from Heaven." Also, God bless whoever invented the heating pad. These backaches I've had for the last  month and a half are no joke.
• Wearing my wedding ring again! My hands aren't enormously swollen, but they are swollen enough that if I try and wear my wedding ring it's hard to get off by the end of the day and then I start to panic and have visions of having to have my finger amputated in order to get the ring off. I think so rationally these days.

Things I will miss:

• Being pregnant in general. Despite all of the unpleasantness and aches and pains, I have LOVED being pregnant. I love looking down at my belly and knowing there is a little baby growing in there. It's almost like he's my little secret--sure, everyone knows he's in there and lots of people have felt him kick and squirm around, but he and I have been together every day for the past nine months. I've been able to experience him growing. I felt him move long before anyone else could feel him. Once he's out, he's not just "mine" anymore. Maybe that sounds crazy or makes me sound selfish, but it is honestly how I feel sometimes. A couple of Saturdays ago I sat in his nursery and cried for a good 10 minutes about this whole thing almost being over and my "secret" being out.
• Using the "I can't because I'm pregnant" card. If you only knew the amount of times I have actually cooked an entire meal since I've been pregnant...well, let's just say I don't even know if you'd have to use two hands. So basically, John Morrey is a saint and I lucked out BIG TIME in the marriage department.
• Glorious, glorious sleep. I have somehow managed to sleep really well all throughout my pregnancy (with the exception of being awoken by the most horrendous leg cramps known to man four or five times...the occurrence of which, oddly enough, also solidify the fact that John Morrey is a saint as he dutifully stretched out my leg and massaged my calf muscle each time even while only in a semi-conscious state)...I think John and I are in for a rude awakening once this little man is here. Literally.
• In some ways, I will miss it just being me and John. Don't get me wrong, I am so so SO grateful and excited to have this little boy joining our family. But I have loved it just being the two of us. I'm so glad we were married for three years before we started our family, because I think it's given us a stronger marriage. And now we get to experience this new adventure together as best friends and partners in every way. We're going to have the best time figuring out how to raise this little guy together! 

So alright, little boy. We're ready whenever you are.

Oh joy! A generic summer recap!

I promise, I've had good intentions to keep my blog up-to-date this summer, but this life of mine has had other plans. We’ve been busy, busy, busy and when I do have a free night, the last thing I want to do is spend it on the computer. So a summer recap will have to do. Enjoy. And sorry in advance that this may turn into the longest post ever...

JUNE

We celebrated our third anniversary in June by going to my cousin’s wedding reception. (Yeah, she got married the same day as us…so inconsiderate…ha.)

That is also the time frame when I got hit with another random bout of "morning" sickness, the prescription for my anti-nausea pills ran out, and my doctor was out of town for a week so it couldn't be refilled...good times.

We went to part of the Morrey Family Reunion up in Logan. I lived on the wild side and went on a four-wheeling ride with Johnny. Don't worry, I drove super slow. Partly because I didn't want to jar the baby too badly, but also partly because every time I drove over a rock I would get nauseous. Such fun. 

Also, one of the days we drove to Bear Lake and took awkward pictures of ourselves. And then I ate the most delicious fresh strawberry shake known to man.

John’s little sister Kristina got married on June 22^nd, so we spent the day celebrating. It was a beautiful wedding. They had their reception in John’s parent’s backyard and it was lovely. Holy moly, those two were giddy and weren’t shy about kissing each other. :) 

JULY

We had Round II of what is apparently becoming the biennial fire in Herriman…I was at work and found out about the fire pretty soon after it started, but I didn’t think it was going to be that big of a deal. Should have known better. John headed home about an hour after the fire started and was able to get to our house, but I left work too late and the roads that access our house were already closed, so I spent the night at my parent’s house. At some point I think our house was in the mandatory evacuation zone, but none of our neighbors left and apparently it sort of turned into a big neighborhood party, everybody hanging out outside, eating otter pops and watching the fire. Our house was never in any danger, but STILL. Too close for comfort. Several of our ward members’ homes were right in line of the fire and came close to burning down. (And sadly, the four homes that did burn down were all in our stake boundaries. I cannot even imagine what it would be like to lose your home.) We went for a little tour a couple of days later to see the damage. I cannot believe how close the flames came…right up to their backyards. The pictures don’t really do it justice. Seeing it in person, it was like something out of a movie. Just charred landscape everywhere. We even saw a poor little jackrabbit that didn’t make it out in time.


I just have to say how thankful I am for the firefighters. The work they do to save people’s property and keep everyone safe is absolutely incredible. What a crazy day. If we have another fire in two years, remind me that maybe we should consider relocating. 

The view of the fire from our house. John sent me this picture to "reassure" me.

The yard on the left is one of our ward members'. Shows you how close the fire came to their houses!

We spent the 4^th participating in America’s favorite past-time at the Bees game.

On July 11^th we got to see another one of the Beatles perform: Ringo Starr, everyone’s favorite drummer/former train guy on Shining Time Station. John laughed about my biggest takeaway from the concert, that Ringo is in excellent shape for a 72-year-old. But seriously. That dude is one skinny man and could still pound away on those drums all day. And, you know, it’s always fun to spend the night with drunk old people reliving their youth.

That old guy on the drums in the center is Ringo...

Johnny turned 33 on July 14^th and we had ourselves a fun day of celebrating. He went golfing with my dad and brothers in the morning and that night we went to dinner with his parents at Happy Sumo, as we do every year for his birthday, so he can enjoy his beloved Vegas Roll. We saw Brave afterward. John kept saying that it was one of his most favorite birthdays ever, and that was even before he got his big present. This sequence of pictures pretty much sums up the fact that my birthday surprise was a hit:

My family all went in and got him a new acoustic guitar. His old guitar was pretty crappy, and big-time musicians need fancy guitars, right? Right. 

Speaking of which, John has also been busy with summertime gigs with his band, and I have been busy being his groupie. He has two more coming up, if any of you are in the area and want to take a listen. Tomorrow the band is playing up in North Logan at Mountain View Park starting at 11am (you know, because the Beatles were PIONEERS in the music industry...get it, get it???). And this Friday, they're playing in Bountiful starting at 7pm. This little boy of ours seriously has no choice but to be a Beatles fan, I'm afraid. I'm thinking he's heard more Beatles music while in the womb than most people hear their whole lives. Lucky little boy.

The tale of the John Morreys

My Johnny husband’s first name has been passed down for the past six generations. One of my greatest accomplishments to date is the day I realized I can name all of them, in the correct order:

John Morrey

John Ferney Morrey

John Eldon Morrey

John Rolph Morrey

John Douglas Morrey

John Scott Morrey

The majority of these John Morreys have been the oldest in their families. So, like, no pressure on us to have a boy first, right?

Well, it’s a good thing our little bean cooperated with the genealogical gods. We’re having a BOY, y’all!!!

Introducing John Morrey VII (and apologies in advance, son, for displaying your goods for all to see on the Internet):

 I cannot get enough of this little half-profile. He is obviously already a bit camera-shy, as he REFUSED to turn that cute little face of his toward us no matter how much we tried to convince him. Could you just die looking at that little nose and those chubby cheeks?

 He was kicking these little legs and feet up over his head pretty much all throughout the ultrasound.

 This is one of our favorites, the thumbs-up. So maybe he’s as excited to come to our family as we are to have him?

 Oh, and did I mention that my mom went on a shopping spree as soon as she found out the gender? Our little guy’s stash is already beginning. My dad even went out and bought a gift the minute he found out (the cutest little University of Utah beanie known to man. Although by the looks of things, we need to get this kid some Aggie gear!). I think maybe they’re excited for this little one, too.

We are so excited to welcome this sweet little boy into our family. Sometimes I am so overwhelmed by how much I love him already that all I can do is cry. He has started moving around a lot more and sometimes kicks hard enough that John is able to feel him. I just love feeling those little baby kicks. And how sweet that John emailed me the other day while we were both at work and simply said, “I want to feel the baby kick.” I think both of us are just a little bit smitten with this little bean.

Oh, and here's my belly at 20 weeks last Sunday (although the outfit I wore that day made it hard to tell I'm even pregnant. Wonder how much longer I can camouflage this baby bump?). Hard to believe I'm more than halfway through this pregnancy!