Maks' First Month

"Peace!  It's my 1 month birthday!"

Eventually, I will get around to writing Maksim's birth story.  And starting a baby book.  And officially changing my last name.  And finishing running my errands.  And cleaning the house.

Maks is now a month old and he definitely communicates his likes and dislikes with Mommy and Daddy.  Maksim loves to be outside, even in the heat of a Louisiana summer.  Although walks are kept to a minimum and usually fall early in the morning or late at night (100+ degrees is just too hot for this Mama), as long as the sun is out of his eyes, the fresh air and sunshine make our little monkey one happy dude.  

Maks would much rather be held on a walk than placed in his stroller, but a carrier/wrap in the aforementioned heat is just too much heat to handle!  So, trips in the car are also favorites for this fella.  I always cross my fingers that we don't get stuck waiting for a red light, or heaven forbid - a train.  The faster, the better.  Don't even think about slowing down for those turns!   "Who is the crazy lady that keeps going in circles on the roundabout without ever turning onto a side street?"  That'd be me.  And if your baby liked it this much, you'd do it, too!  Little man likes to move!

Only one thing trumps car rides and the great outdoors: the vacuum.  The vacuum machine continues to be the most calming appliance in our house.  It never fails that when nothing else can calm our baby boy, the vacuum can do the trick!  Although loud and annoying for both me and Kira, Maks is comforted by the loud hum of a good vacuum.  Non-stop.  For real.  Turn that sucker on and the little bugger will quiet down and fall asleep in seconds.  The only issue is that Kira is deathly afraid of that scary, scary machine.  There's no time like the present to face your fears, pup!

All in all, we have a pretty good little man!  For the past 2 weeks, he has already been consistently sleeping for 8-9 consecutive hours throughout the night (typically 8 or 9pm-5am), followed by a handful of 2-4 hour naps scattered throughout the day.  Now if only I could figure out the whole "sleep/rest when your baby does" thing...

There is so much going on that I could write a thousand posts.  But, for now I'll stick to summarizing the first month of Maks time with us via photo slides in my next blog post.  

First trip to Dallas

We had a successful trip to Dallas for the weekend.  Maks did wonderfully in the car on both the ride there and the ride back home.  We relaxed with shopping, a Mother's Day massage for me from my boys, and a couple of trips to the dog park for Kira.

Here's what happens when Daddy is in charge of morning playtime before leaving our hotel for the day:

Bumbo

There's a first time for everything!

Here is a video of Maks' first experience in his Bumbo:

Firsts

At just a week and a half old, Maks and I experienced our very first series of nights alone, as Bryon was flying to Colorado Springs regarding teaching Philosophy at the United States Air Force Academy.  I was nervous to be the only one around to tend to Maks, especially with the minimal amount of sleep that I'd been getting between round-the-clock feedings.  However, Maks did wonderfully and we made it through with flying colors! 

Before Bryon made it back, Maks had his very first visitors.  Grandma Judy and Grandpa Tom made the trek from Iowa to see us down in Louisiana.  The extra bodies (and sets of carrying arms) were a welcome addition to our household.  As a newborn, Maks napped a great deal.  However, this was great as it meant loads of snuggle time for his proud grandparents! 

Cuddling with Grandma Judy.

Grandpa Tom makes fun noises!

Maksim's first visitors.

Hangin' with Dr. Jason

I started seeing Dr. Jason Maggio just 1 month before discovering that we were expecting.  I'd never in my life visited a chiropractor and hadn't been experiencing any "problems" with my back, but instead just concluded that seeing a chiropractor was a good idea to maintain overall health and wellness.  I was very happy to find Dr. Maggio in a city like Shreveport - where natural/homeopathic health options are scarce.  It was refreshing to meet a professional who practiced what he preached and believed in the power of whole foods and a healthy lifestyle.

Throughout my pregnancy, I saw Dr. Maggio on a bi-weekly basis.  He continued to see me all of the way up until Maks' birth.  I have no doubt that Dr. Maggio's assistance in keeping my body in proper alignment contributed greatly to the ease of my pregnancy and the speed of delivery (even with an 11lb baby)!

As a service to his clients, Dr. Jason will adjust babies free of charge during their parents' chiropractic appointments.  I knew I wanted an adjustment as soon after Maks' birth as possible in order to position my body back into alignment before everything tightened up again due to decreased production of relaxin.  Thus, on May 2nd, Bryon and I headed over to his office - baby Maks in tow!  

At just 2 days old, Maksim experienced his very first chiropractic adjustment!  Dr. Maggio held Maks upside down to see which direction his neck turned, indicating which direction he needed to focus on while realigning Maks' atlas/axis.  That journey down the birth canal isn't always an easy one!  Following Maks' adjustment, we noticed a whole lot more yawning and ease of moving his head in all directions.  Both Maksim and I will continue to see Dr. Jason on a monthly basis.  Check out the video of Maks' very first adjustment below!