Thursday, April 29, 2010

How Patriotic are YOU??

Just a random tidbit about our sweet Maddox:

How Patriotic are YOU??? Maddox LOVES LOVES LOVES the American flag!! He can spot one miles away flying high in the sky and he loudly proclaims this glorious sight for all to hear and see! I have never realized how many American flags fly proudly here in Lubbock, but let me just tell you, there are a ton of them!! He now knows the difference between the American flag and the Texas flag. He can also point out the Texas Tech flags that fly. It is funny because we will drive by a bank and he will say "Momma, Momma!! Look, American Flag....Texas Flag!!! Blue Flag??" (the blue flag is for American State Bank and it really confuses him...hahah..its so funny) On a side note...he cannot say "American" It comes out "Famerifan" which makes his sightings even more funny!!




Oh sweet Maddox...thank you for keeping me entertained as we drive around and run our errands!

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

My Boys

Well the boys are doing great!! Maddox is finally feeling better and is adjusting to the new normal quite nicely! We have definitely had some moments of nothing by whining, but after all, he is 2, his world was completely rocked and he hasn't felt well...I think I might whine a little also!!!

Maddox has been so funny lately...wanting to wear his glasses all the time....oh he is so silly!! Today he wanted them in his bed with him at nap time....Could you say no to this face??? Obviously, I let him have his beloved glasses with him :)Sweet little Paxton is doing fabulously!! We had our follow up appointment with the pediatrician today and he is already back up to his birth weight and everything is looking great!! Eating, sleeping, peeing and pooping like a champ!! Way to go little P-nut!!! We have been pleasantly surprised at how well this little guy eats and sleeps. We were prepared to have another little one with tummy issues thus resulting in sleep problems as well. But so far..he is doing great and his little belly seems to be fine..yippee!!!

The little guy does not like a pacifier and occasionally we find him with his tiny little thumb in his mouth...while I hope we can break him of thumb sucking, it is one of the cutest things I have ever seen. He is just so tiny!! His car seat swallows him up and the only clothes that fit him are preemies!! Currently he is in the 7th percentile for weight, but he is catching up quickly for only being 8 days old :)

I know I say this a lot...but it is still so surreal that I have 2 little boys. The other day when I was driving, I got a little teary eyed as I looked in the back seat and saw two car seats!!! These boys are keeping me busy, but I am really enjoying it!

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Great Job

Our sweet big boy is doing such a GREAT JOB learning his Alphabet!!

Monday, April 26, 2010

He's Here

Well, a lot has happened since I posted last!!! He has arrived!!! Paxton James Kalivoda made his grand entrance into this world on Tuesday, April 20, 2010 at 9:38am weighing in at 6lbs 1oz and 19 inches long. Although that makes him about 4 weeks early, he is doing fabulously!! This little guy was just ready and is proving that he was not at all early....he came at just the right time!!!

Here's the story:

I was taken off the meds to stop my contractions on Monday. I had an appointment with the doctor that afternoon....I also had a lot of pelvic pressure and quite a few contractions, but nothing HUGE. I went to the doctor...she was delivering 3 babies at our appointment time (all 3 ladies went into labor at the same time...pretty crazy), so the nurse saw me. She said I was not dilated and everything looked fine, and we were on our way. I had a feeling that something more was going on, but I just figured it was because I was no longer on any medication. We went about our day as usual. Played with Maddox....ate dinner at my mom's house and just enjoyed the evening. We put Maddox down and I continued to get the house picked up and all the baby things put away from the shower that weekend. Brad and I decided to watch some more of our new favorite show "24" via Netflix. I started having more contractions (which, once again, was not unusual) at about 9:30. They started getting more and more frequent. We went to bed around 11pm and I was still having several contractions; however, as the night progressed, so did the contractions. At midnight I started to wonder if I was in true labor, but I did not want to make a big deal out of anything and we waited it out. We waited as long as I could and at around 2am I called my mom to see if we could bring Maddox over to her house as we were making our way up to the hospital to get checked out. We got everyone situated and arrived at the hospital around 3am. They checked me and sure enough, I was in labor dilated to a 4 and 90% effaced. I think we both kind of knew I was in labor, but we were both shocked to know how far along I was already. Well, by 6am I was dilated to a 6....I received my epidural and continued to progress quickly!!



Also, about 6am...we had a knock on our hospital door and in walked my best friend Sarah!!! She received our text at 4am that I was in labor and she hopped in the car and drove from Midland in the middle of the night so she could be there with us!! She will never know how special that was and how much that meant to me to have here there....even as I type this I am getting a little teary eyed at how sweet she is to me and how much she loves my boys!! Thanks Sarah for making Paxton's Day so special!!!

Anyway...back to the story....my epidural worked well at the beginning, but at around 8am I started to feel intense contractions and a lot of pressure...I was dilated to an 8 and this little boy was not waiting around!! They tried to give me more medicine to see if it would help, but unfortunately it did not. I felt almost everything and it was pretty intense...however, I was super blessed because once again, my body just took over and by 9am it looked like we were going to have a baby any minute!!! It ends up, Paxton was facing head up and was pushing right on my pelvic bone (thus the crazy pelvic pressure and why the epidural wouldn't stop the pain). His heart rate began to drop quickly, so the doctor decided I needed an epsiotomy and then we had little Paxton within seconds of that!!

Everything is going beautifully! I feel great...its amazing how much those constant contractions for months really zapped the energy out of me! I am healing wonderfully and feel really good. They were of course worried about Paxton's little lungs and body temperature because he was early...but he is just fine! Like I said before, he was just ready!! They were also concerned that he would have a harder time figuring out how to nurse, but he is doing amazingly well!! We are so blessed to have a happy, healthy, perfect little boy!!



Big brother Maddox thinks Paxton is pretty neat and laughs every time Paxton moves his hands, or grunts or anything. Unfortunately, Mr. Maddox started running fever Thursday evening (the day we got home) and is now at my mom's house until he is fever free. The doctor checked him out and couldn't find what was causing him to have such a high fever..no ear infection, no strep throat, no RSV....he does have a little runny nose...but its just weird...his fever was as high as 103!! Poor little guy. Mom says he is doing really well....I miss him so much. It breaks my heart that I am not there with him while he is sick..but I know it is best for all of us. It has helped me have a few days to adjust to having a newborn in the house and Maddox is getting GiGi's undivided attention (which he LOVES).



I am still in awe that I am the mom of 2 little boys!! We are so blessed!!

Monday, April 19, 2010

Another Great Weekend

(This Picture made me smile..it was taken last summer....my sweet little Maddox....gosh, he is growing up so quickly...he will be a BIG Brother in just a few short weeks at the most...I think I am still in a little shock....I shouldn't be...have any of you SEEN my belly...it should be a constant reminder to me)
We had yet another wonderful weekend here in the Voda house!!! Friday evening we had Brad's annual work party to thank all of his employees for their hard work during the "harvest" time (December through march...tax season and the busiest time of year for all of them). My dad and Kelly kept the Madd-man for us (thanks again so so much) and we had a great time showing our appreciation to the Fiesta Crew!!! Also, Friday evening, while we were at the party, Brad's parents arrived in town for the weekend! Saturday, I was so blessed to have a shower thrown for me and sweet little baby Paxton.....since we don't really need a whole lot for this little man, it was more of a "sprinkle" and we were blessed beyond words at the amount of love our little one was shown. I will post pictures when I get them from my dear friend Sarah (thanks again, miss photographer, for taking such great pics at the party).
After the shower, Sarah and our friend Andrea and I went shopping for the last minute stuff I would need for Mr. Paxton, and just spent the day being "girls" we had a great time (or at least I know I did)!!!
We enjoyed the visit from grandmom and grandpa Voda...Maddox certainly enjoyed all the attention and lovin from his grandparents!! It was a great weekend and I do believe one I get everything put away, we are SUPER ready for Mr. P to arrive!!
Speaking of Paxton, I had another doctor's appointment today. Everything is looking good. My blood pressure has begun to increase a little over the weeks, but the nurse was not concerned with it (my doctor had 3 women in labor at the same time, so she was not at this appointment). Paxton was moving around well, his heart beat was strong and she said my cervix was still looking good. Looks like my body is holding on for a little while longer...praise Jesus!! I am a little anxious to see how this week goes without any of the contraction meds.....I have been having a ton of contractions (not very regular and not increasing in pain too quickly) and a lot of pelvic pressure.....Sarah still guesses the baby will arrive April 26th, and at this point I would not be too surprised if she were correct!! While I am ready and I feel like my body is gradually wearing out, I pray that I can hold strong just a little while longer and give this little guy all the time he needs to grow and develop!!!

Friday, April 16, 2010

Random Rambling

Here is a little bit of what has been going on in our world these days...I must warn you, it is pretty random! rambling

Maddox will now say his prayers before bedtime....they generally sound like this:
"Thank you Momma. Thank you Paxton. Thank you brother. Thank you Daddy. Thank you bed. Amen."
Oh it is the joy of my day to hear him say his prayers in his sweetest little boy voice!!

Maddox can almost say the entire alphabet...he still needs a little guidance with a few of the letters, but when HE wants to, he most certainly can say the entire thing in English and the last four or five letters in the Greek alphabet as well (when I was in the 4th grade we had to learn the Greek alphabet and I still remember it...he thinks it is hilarious, so he asks for the "other alphabet" constantly and he will giggle the entire time until the last few letters, then he says them with me...so funny)

He has become very interested in my tummy and baby Paxton and wants to feel it and talk to him pretty regularly. He has felt Paxton kick and roll and he thought that was pretty funny...I am so thankful that he is so interested in his little brother already!

Maddox always wants to help pick things out for baby brother...paci's, blankets, toys. He will randomly take a toy of his and put it in Paxton's crib so it will be "ready" for him!! So cute!! I just know Maddox is going to make a great big brother!! I am so excited to watch their relationship grow!!

Our bags are packed for the hospital.

Maddox's bags are packed to stay with Aunt Kam, Uncle Jason and Mollie when Paxton is born.
We are about as ready as we are going to get for this little one to arrive!

I know our world is about to turn upside down as we have another baby in the house, but I am so excited, nervous, anxious, and all around just ready to start this new journey!!

Brad is the most amazing husband in the world. So supportive, kind, smart, generous, funny, spirited and hard working. He has helped me so much during this LONG pregnancy....I know it has to be exhausting for him to work all day then come home and have to help me around the house, but I have yet to hear him complain a single time.

I wonder every night if it is the last night I am bathing ONE child, putting ONE little boy to bed and if it is the last night Maddox is an only child.

Maddox is getting sweeter and sweeter everyday. He is at a great spot these days...he understands what the schedule is, what the expectations are and he is able to communicate his needs/wants/desires to us relatively efficiently; thus the frustration of the 2 year old stage is minimal. He loves to help me, play, read, and enjoys playing by himself for a little while. I am praying the Lord will guide me on how to help him feel loved, welcomed and secure as his little world is about to be rocked as he goes from only child to big brother.

Monday, April 12, 2010

Girls Weekend and Paxton Update

I had the amazing opportunity to have a mini girls weekend with my dearest friend Sarah (whom now lives in Midland). Our hubbies went to the lake, my dad and Kelly kept Maddox on Saturday (thanks again you guys...Maddox had a blast and still "tells" me stories all day about the fun stuff he did with his PopPop and Nanny..now of course, I will have to ask you guys about some of it, because I just can't follow ALL of what he is attempting to tell me...lol) and Sarah and I enjoyed a lot of great food, laughter, chatting and just being girls!!
Sarah got into town Friday morning and we immediately went to Chick-fil-A for breakfast...YUMMY!!! Maddox loved sitting with his aunt Sarah and eating almost ALL of her breakfast!! We then ran some errands....picked up Paxton's new swing (Thanks again Dennis and Murlon (grandma and grandpa voda) for the awesome new swing...Sarah and I put it together Friday evening and I just love it...I can't wait to see our little one snoozing away in that precious swing). We then took a nap and then ventured to Target followed by a yummy dinner at Rosa's, a trip to babies-r-us, ice cream at Baskin Robbin's, another trip to Wal-Mart to find Maddox a boy baby doll to "take care of" (he loves to feed the baby, burp the baby, rock the baby and put the baby to bed.....I am hoping to help ease him into the realization that Paxton is a person, a little baby, that will need to be taken care of and not just this big basketball looking thing in Mommy's belly). Gosh, Maddox was such a trooper and he and Sarah had a great time together....thanks again Sarah for all your help especially loading and unloading him in and out of the car...you were a lifesaver!!!


Not the greatest of pictures of me...but here we are sharing some pink bubble gum ice cream!! What a treat to have this special time with my little man and best friend!!

Aunt Sarah and Maddox chatting over ice cream
Saturday we all slept in, went and grabbed some yummy doughnuts, took the car to the car wash for Maddox (this kid LOVES the car wash and asks to go one everytime he sees one...perhaps he is just trying to politely tell me that my car needs to be washed, but I have a feeling the big brushes and the water are what he is interested in..hahah) and then took the Madd-man to PopPop and Nanny's house!!! After Maddox was situated, Sarah and I went for a much needed pedicure...we had a great time and our toes look super cute!! We then ate a tasty burger at Blue Sky and went shopping some more!! We decided we needed an arts and crafts project so we decided to make the "PAXTON" letters that I showed at the end of the previous post!! We also decided it would be fun to get a little dressed up and go for a nice dinner..you know as grown ups....no high chairs, no sharing food with a 2 year old..and adult conversation!! We choose Olive Garden and had a wonderful time!!!

This weekend was full of food and lots of fun!! Thank you so much Sarah for coming down and hanging out with me, but I would like to thank you even more for you friendship. God blessed my life with you a few years ago and I cannot imagine my life without you in it. You are always so supportive, uplifting and helpful. You have helped me transition into my "mommy" role when I had absolutely NO clue what I was doing!! You make me laugh so hard I almost pee in my pants (which I realize isn't all that hard any more because of the huge belly I have these days...but still, you make me laugh really hard...lol). I know I can tell you anything and everything...we are so much a like it is scary at times!!! Thank you for loving my children as if they were your own and thank you for your amazing friendship.....I cherish it more than I can find words to describe!!!


And finally, a little Paxton update!! We are currently 35 weeks (I will be 36 weeks on Thursday). We had another ultrasound on Monday and they were all very pleased with the growth of the little man...he is now in the 37th percentile and is weighing in at 5 pounds 12 ounces...they say he will probably be about the same size Maddox was (7lbs4oz) and everything is looking great!! Yippee...we are very thankful for a healthy baby!! The doctor told me that she wants me to make it through the weekend still taking my meds to stop the contractions (which I have been having a TON of lately) and come Monday I am to stop taking them and start allowing my body to take over naturally. I am so happy for this news...not only because the meds make me feel so icky, but because we have made it so far since I first had to start taking them in order to keep myself from going into preterm labor as early as 24 weeks gestation!!! The doctor also said that I was looking good...blood pressure was great, no swollen feet, gaining enough weight....AND we set the induction date for May 5th....so, unless I go into labor naturally, we will be have a Cinco De Mayo baby...everyone get ready to party!!
35 weeks

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Don't Say I Didn't Warn You

This is a very long post....please don't say I didn't warn you!!
Looks like once again I am attempting to play catch up with the blog...I have just have not had the brain capacity to sit down and get my thoughts together coherently enough to describe what has been going on here in the Kalivoda house!! We have been having a wonderful time...Maddox has been such a blast lately...he is so funny, energetic, polite, obedient (most of the time..he is still 2), and just a fun kid. We are all enjoying the beautiful spring weather and the ability to play in the back yard and breath the fresh air!!
We had a wonderful Easter weekend celebrating the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior!! We started our weekend by going to church on Saturday (by the way I love that our Church has Saturday evening services as well as Sunday morning....Saturday night just works so well for our family...there is no rushing around to make it to church on time and we get our entire Sunday to do whatever as a family...I just love it). We decided to go to the Easter church service as a family...yes that is correct, we opted to let Maddox sit with us during the service rather than go to the nursery (we wanted to experience as a family and we are trying to keep him out of the nursery for a while, at least until after the baby arrives...the last thing we need is for Maddox to catch another nasty virus like RSV and then bring a new born into the house) Let me just tell you, Maddox was amazing during the service...he loved the music, all the people, and he was so quiet during the service!
The three of us after church

Easter Sunday we spent the day with family. We started the early afternoon off at my mom and Paul's house, hunting Easter eggs, eating a wonderful meal, playing Ladder Golf and just hanging out. The weather was beautiful and we all had a great time.


We then spent the evening at my dad and Kelly's house. We hunted Easter "cars", ate another great meal and enjoyed the beautiful weather outside our their fabulous patio. It was a great day
.
On the 8th, Maddox turned 28 months old.....gosh, it is just crazy how quickly he is growing up!! He really is growing "up" He is getting taller and taller and thinner and thinner....he is rapidly changing from toddler to little boy, and I must say, I do believe he is one precious little boy!! I love this stage at almost 2 and a half. His eagerness to help (which will be fabulous when Paxton arrives), vivid imagination, increased vocabulary and ability to properly express himself, the ability he has to understand what we desire from him, the love he has for his family and friends, and the compassion he has for those around him are just a few of the things that bring joy to my heart while playing with him throughout the day. He is so sweet, yet ALL boy. There is never a stick left on the ground, a rock un-thrown, a dirt pile left alone or a water puddle free from a nice big hop from the little man!! Any object can become a tool, a push toy is now a very loud lawn mower accompanied by the sound effects of the Madd-man himself, and every dump truck, digger, fire truck or ambulance is pointed out....I never knew how much I was missing out on in this world around me until I had a 2 year old boy point it out to me...and I am so thankful to have this particular little man "teaching" me about all the important things in life!!!
Life as we know it is going to change here before we know it and I am getting more and more excited and anxious. I cannot wait to meet little Paxton and to watch our family transition from 3 to 4....I am nervous about all the changes, the late nights, endless feedings, fussy times, juggling 2 kids and still finding time to take care of Brad myself and remembering to feed the dog and the fish..lol!! Things are about to get interesting as this journey continues, but I know the Lord has been preparing us and He will guide us through all the changes to come!!
Here is a quick picture of a craft project Sarah and I made for Paxton's room (we had a girls weekend..I will have to do an entire post on that this week..it was so much fun). This is on one of the corner shelves in Paxton's room!!!