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!  

Happy Birthday, Maksim!

We welcomed our BIG boy, Maksim Alexander Kroger, into the world on April 30th at 4:29am!  Although he weighed a record breaking (for our birth center) 11lb-2 ounces, we managed to still have the hospital/drug/intervention free, natural birth that we'd hoped for!


Here's how Maks measured up:
11lb 2oz
15" head
18 1/2" shoulders (which decided to come out simultaneously, instead of one at a time!)
21.5" long

Just a few hours old, and already practicing flexing his muscles for body-builder Grandpa Ralph.

He was perfectly healthy and we were all on the road back from TX within four hours!  

Daddy is a master swaddler.

Kira saying "hi" to her little brother.

We're so glad to have him here with us and cannot wait to introduce him to everyone!

Due Date

40 weeks

My ever-expanding belly coupled with unseasonably high temperatures in Louisiana is making the baby wait almost unbearable.  Sometime in the next two weeks our little bundle will be in our arms!

Third Trimester

Final stretch!

As the weeks continue to pass, I get more and more kicks that are becoming stronger and stronger!  It's hard to believe that just a couple of months ago I wasn't experiencing any detectable movement at all!  I"m growing each and every single day - which hopefully means a properly developing little one on the inside!

30.5 weeks

Valentine's Day is usually just another day in our house.  However, the weekend before, both Bryon and I happened to be off of work.  Bryon got up early and said he needed to run some errands and would pick up some breakfast to bring home for us, too.  Once 10am rolled around, I was extremely hungry and wondering what was taking him so long/when he'd be back.  At about 10:30 he finally made if back home with some food - and our infant car seat...complete with a V-day stuffed animal monkey strapped in!  Of course, he'd thought that the baby store opened at 9am, but it actually didn't open until 10.  He knew which brand infant seat we'd decided to purchase, but he was able to also pick out his favorite fabric/color (which I happen to love!).  A car seat has been the one thing I've been adamant about needing to purchase sometime soon to be sure that we have one once it's needed.  I'm so glad we've got that item crossed off the list!  Now I just need to convince Bryon that it would be fun to drive around with the car seat installed...and the stuffed animal monkey strapped in!  He's hesitant, so for now we're slowly exposing Kira to the monkey and teaching her that not all toys/stuffed animals in our house are fair game for her to chew on anymore.  Wish us luck!

31 weeks

Thanks to everyone who helped us celebrate our growing family by attending our baby shower!  It was so nice to have the friends we've made in Louisiana come over and spend the afternoon with us!  We can't wait to introduce everyone to our new addition in just a few short weeks!

Approximately 2 weeks to go until my EDD and I'm starting to feel like I can't possibly expand any farther!  We're happy to have found a midwife and birthing center that we'll be utilizing in East Texas (assuming all goes as planned) and couldn't be happier with this opportunity given our current residence in non-midwife-friendly Louisiana.  As for now, we're counting down the days until our little Texas-born baby makes his/her debut!

35 weeks

37.5 weeks