14 pounds!!

Max has his 2 month dr. appt. today and I was SHOCKED when they weighed him. He was 14 lb. and 1/2 oz. HOLY COW!! I guess he is getting plenty to eat. He is 23 3/4 inches long. He is growing fast! He had to get his first round of shots today. He screamed and was not impressed at all. After we left the doctor we went to meet Deana, Brandon, Connor and Corbin at Jump Mania. Corbin had spent the night with them to celebrate his pooping success. The boys had a blast playing together. We left there and went to McDonald's for lunch. Corbin fell asleep on the way home and slept for 2 hours. He was worn out! But it was a fun day for sure!!

It's a surprise...not really!

We tried to have a surprise party today to celebrate Ryan's graduation but he knew about it. He said that he suspected something was up and then he ate lunch right by where the party was and watched everyone drive by on their way to the party. Oh well! It was still a lot of fun. There were about 30 people there. We played a game to see who knew Ryan the best and ate fruit and cake. After the party we went to Ed & Barb's house for dinner. Jennifer's grandparents came in town for the party so we wanted to spend some time with them. Great grandma had a great time taking care of Max. She didn't even care that he peed on her and was kind of fussy at times. You can tell she has 6 kids!

A great accomplishment

Today was a special day for our family. Ryan graduated from SBU with his Masters Degree in Business Adminstration. What a accomplishment this is. Jennifer, Corbin and Max surprised Ryan and took him to lunch. Then we had to shop for last minute things for his surprise party on Saturday. We all went to graduation that night along with Sam, Jana, Marc, Deana, Connor, Ed, Barb, Megan, Kaedyn and Kylie. After graduation we went to our favorite restaurant, El Rodeo. It was yummy, as always!

Another birthday party & a trip to Urgent Care

Corbin was having another birthday party today. This time it was with his family. Grandma Jana volunteered to have it at her house so that we wouldn't have to try to plan a party with a new baby. Thank you grandma!! The day didn't go quite as easy as we had planned, though. When we woke up we noticed one of Corbin's eyes was very red and crusty. Max was going on day 2 of having green gunk in his eye. So we decided to take them both to Urgent Care to get it checked out. We got there at 12:00, as soon as they opened so that we could be the first ones in. Corbin's party started at 1:00 and we didn't want to be late. We weren't surprised to hear that Corbin had pink eye. Max's was probably just a clogged tear duct but it could be pink eye too. So, both of them have medicine to take now. Corbin has drops and Max has ointment. We got out of Urgent Care just in time to head to Jana's for Corbin's party. Sam & Jana had gone all out. They cooked steaks, chicken, hot dogs, baked potatoes, fruit and salad. It was yummy! Sam, Jana, Glenn, Roberta, Marc, Deana, Brandon, Connor, Ed, Barb, Ed Sr. and Rosemary were all there to celebrate with him. Corbin got a lot of money and gift cards. He wasn't very excited about them as he was opening them but he will be excited when he gets to spend them. He is working on earning a Wii and is going to use his money to buy games. Corbin had a great party!

Corbin's birthday party & fishing day

Corbin had a busy day today. It started with a fishing trip with daddy. There was a kids fishing clinic at Bass Pro that Ryan took him to. They had a pond that was well stocked with fish and eat kid could get 4. Corbin caught his 4 and had a great time doing it. They got home just in time for Corbin to take a quick shower and then head to his birthday party. We had it at Gold Medal Gymnastics in Republic. We wanted to do it somewhere fun for the kids. The bonus was that there was no preparation for us. We just had to show up with cupcakes. Connor, Brandon, Jase, Kody, Devin and Issac came to his party. The kids were allowed to run around the facility and play on all of the equipment. They had a blast! The boys had a great time doing flips, jumping on the trampoline and swinging on the rings. After they played for an hour we ate cupcakes and ice cream and opened presents. Corbin got some great stuff! He got Transformers, Power Ranger glasses and sidewalk paint. What more could a 4 year old boy want? It was a great day for him!

Corbin turns 4

It is hard to believe that my baby is turning 4 today. He looks so big to me now, especially after having a newborn in the house. I think he had a great birthday that he will always remember. First thing this morning he got his present. He got a power wheels 4 wheeler and he was VERY excited!! He spent a good part of the day riding it. It didn't take him long to figure out how to work it. We went to dinner at Zio's that night. He got to pick where he wanted to go and that was his pick because he likes dipping his bread in the oil and seasonings. They brought him a special birthday dessert consisting of vanilla ice cream, a brownie, chocolate syrup and whipped cream. He didn't eat very much of it, though. I hope his birthday was great for him!

Going to the cardiologist

Max made his first trip to the cardiologist today. We wanted Dr. Wagman to check him to make sure he didn't have any of the same heart problems that Corbin has. He had a great check up and Dr. Wagman feels confident that everything is ok with him. He wants to see him back in a few weeks just to be sure, though.

1st trip to the doctor

Max went to the doctor for the first time today. It was uneventful, just a weight check. He was 7 lb. 15 oz. when we left the hospital and that is what he weighed today too. He probably lost a few more ounces once we got home and is started to gain now. The nurse who checked him wasn't concerned.

Today was also my first day home alone with both boys. Well, Ryan went to work yesterday but just for a few hours. The boys were very good today. If every day is like this then we are going to have a great summer!

Coming home!!

Today was a great day because we got to bring Max home. We were released around 12:00 and it was pouring down rain. That was a problem since we had the truck and were planning on throwing everything in the back. All of the stuff wouldn't fit on the inside in one trip so Ryan had to take a load of stuff home and then come back for me and Max. We stopped by Pasta Express on the way home to get some lunch and arrived at the house around 1:30. Marc, Deana, Brandon, Connor, Sam, Jana and of course Corbin were there to greet us. Corbin wasn't too interested in his baby brother. He was too busy playing video games with Connor. Everyone stayed for a few hours and then things quieted down. It was a nice night at home. Max and Corbin were both very good. Ryan got us some pizza for dinner and we just hung out and relaxed.

Corbin picked out Max's outfit to wear home. It has a race car on it!



Corbin wanted Max to play in his room and try on hats, silly boy!

Day 2 with Max

We are still in the hospital waiting to come home and everything is going great. Max had some breathing issues yesterday but that is all cleared up now. I got my IV out this morning and now I can eat real food and start walking the halls. I remember how much better I felt after having Corbin once I walked around. Max had a lot of visitors again today. Grandma Barb was the first visitor. She was at the hospital before 7:00. Daddy arrvied next and then Corbin came with Grandma Jana. It was nice to get to spend some quiet time with all of my boys. Corbin really loves his big brother. Ryan, Chrissie and Brayden came after lunch and were able to stay for a while and hold Max. I think Chrissie has some baby fever, she was pretty into Max. Lori, Sydney and Drew came later in the day but could only stay for a few minutes. The kids didn't know what to think about Max. All of the grandparents came back later and were there in the evening. Max has been very good all day today. He is really mellow and doesn't cry much. Corbin is spending the night in Bolivar with Marc, Deana, Brandon and Connor tonight and he is very excited about that. We should get to come home tomorrow.

Chrissie loving on Max


The helicopters landed right outside my room and Corbin and Brayden were very excited about that! I think Ryan Verch was too.



Lori, Sydney and Drew visiting Max

Max is here!

Today was a great day for us! We welcomed our second child today. Max Cooper Allie arrived at 8:27 am via c-section. He weighed 8 lb. 10 oz. and was 21 1/2 inches long. He was born with a full head of brown hair which was very surprising to us since Corbin was bald until he was about 18 months old. The c-section went very well despite being put on hold for a few emergencies with other patients. We were scheduled to arrive at the hospital at 6:00 am. On the way to the hospital I realized that I forgot my pre-registration card so we had to go back and get it. Therefore, we didn't arrive until about 6:15. Once we got there they put us in a room and got me hooked up to the monitors. My IV was started and I took all that yucky medicine they make you take. Around 7:00 my parents arrived with Corbin. He wasn't sure what to think about me being hooked up to all that stuff. My in-laws arrived around 7:15. They wheeled me back to the OR around 7:30 which is what time my c-section was scheduled to take place. Once I got back there the anesthesiologist was called to another OR for an emergency c-section. So I sat around and chatted with the nurses in the OR. Once the anesthesiologist came back my doctor was called away to do a delivery for the doctor who was with the patient in the other OR. So once again we were put on hold. Things finally got started around 8:00. During the surgery the doctors were talking about vacations and scuba diving. It was a little weird to hear them talking about that while I was being operated on. Finally Max arrived and he was perfect. His apgars were 8 and 10. Once we got to recovery he was able to meet his big brother, all of his grandparents and his great-grandma and great-grandmpa Amass. He is so loved already! He nursed well right away! After a few hours there we were taken upstairs to a semi private room. Luckily we were able to get a private room a few hours later. Max had many visitors throughout the day including Marc, Deana, Brandon, Connor, Karen and great-grandma and great-grandpa VanStavern. We were happy to show him off! His big brother loves him so much already. We are so blessed to have such a wonderful family!

Here is the last preggo picture, just before we left the house.

Ryan getting ready to watch the big event.

Dr. Hill showing off Max

Our first family photo of the 4 of us.