1 + 1 = 4

What you have missed...

2009-11-29T22:32:00.000-08:00

Sorry everybody for not posting sooner. We have been so busy and the computer was out of commission for awhile, but we are up and running now.

Well, Maddux just now turned 11 months old and here are all the firsts you have missed in the last 4 months:

His first time at a Reno Aces game (our minor league baseball team here in Reno), along with his first Cubs hat this past summer.

His first plane ride (not in my belly) which led to his first time meeting my whole family for my cousin Toby's wedding in Colorado this past August. While we where there Maddux took his first hike (which means Carlos had an extra 15 pounds on his belly). We had a blast and can't wait to go again next August. Here are some pics from the trip.

His first time crawling was right when he just turned 8 months old and was the same day he took 2 unassisted steps. His crawl is an adorable leg dragging scoot.

He got his first tooth (and then three more).

His first time seeing the Cubs live in San Francisco against the Giants. We sat directly behind the Cubs dugout and Maddux was given that ball by one of the coaches.

His first time really walking well was at the beginning of month 10.

He found a new friend.

And here are some of my favorite pics, enjoy:)

Thanks for catching up on the last 4 months of Maddux. More posts soon (I hope).

10 Reasons Why I Love Being A Mommy!

2009-08-06T20:21:00.000-07:00

#10 - His Cry

Although his cry is very loud, how can you not think this face is adorable? Seems as though Maddux is not a water baby like his mother yet, but he will be just give it time.

#9 - Nap Time

Yes, he is sleeping with 1 eye half open and yes, he is sleeping while holding his head rest. His naps are usually in his crib or swing, these just happen to be the only sleeping pics we have. They were taken by our good friend Amit who walked him for an hour and a half ever day for 7 weeks while I recently taught a summer school class. Lucky for him, Maddux slept most of the time, and lucky for me to have such a good friend.

#8 - His Curiosity

Maddux usually studies all new objects placed in front of him then finds a way to make sure they get into his mouth. As you can see in the second picture he can't get the toy in his mouth so he gives up. Maddux did love his walking car that grandma Chris got him to use at her house, since we don't have any hard surfaces at our house.

#7 - Seeing Him Reach Milestones

The first picture is deceiving. He isn't quite crawling, just going from his hands and knees to his back. As I mentioned before, I really don't think he is going to crawl. The second picture shows his true passion, standing. This boy will fuss forever until he is close to a sturdy object so he can pull himself to a stand or use one of us as his sturdy object.

#6 - His Big, Brown Eyes

What more to say!

#5 - His Need For Mommy

I am dreading the day when he is too big to need me.

#4 - Seeing How Much He Loves Daddy

Everday when Carlos walks through the door at about 5:30 pm Maddux lights up. There have been many instances where he has been fussy and the second daddy came through the door everything was wonderful. I think he will be a daddy's boy once he doesn't depend on me for survival.

#3 - Hearing His Sounds and Laughs

Tau had to find a way to get in this top 10 some how.

#2 - Seeing His Smiles

Going into his room in the morning to get him up and seeing a huge smile that greets me makes my entire day. I can't imagine a better way to start your day.

#1 - The Feeling I Get When I See My Son

I love him so much and I am thankful to have a husband that loves him just as much.

6 Months

2009-07-05T21:33:00.000-07:00

Maddux is 6 months old now and this is by far our favorite stage as parents. He is smiling, laughing and trying to eat everything he can grab. We strongly believe that he will skip the crawling stage because he rolls to his back everytime we put him on his stomach since he hates not being able to see the world. His legs are getting really strong which is why he can hold himself up for long periods of time and if you hold his hands and lead him he will start to take small steps. We recently took him to a pool for the first time and besides being a little scared at first (kung fu grip to Mommy) he actually liked it. Another first for Maddux recently was eating solids (more like mushies). He didn't have any trouble with the rice cereal, but isn't really a big fan of carrots (as seen in the video). Enjoy!

Almost 5 Months

2009-05-19T16:04:00.000-07:00

Maddux will be 5 months old in exactly 1 week. Where did the time go? He is doing great, sleeping 7-8 hours at night and spends his days mainly learning and soaking everything up in between naps. He gets bored easily if we aren't keeping his mind occupied, so I spend my days reading and playing with him. Thank goodness for the exersauser that he sits in and turns himself in to play with all of his toys to give mom a break to eat or work. Maddux also has discovered he can fit about 5 fingers in his mouth which is way more fun than a pacifier even if he does gag himself.

I am doing great and love being a mom more than anything. School is out for summer, but I will be teaching a summer school class, Calculus 2 yeah, in a couple weeks. Maddux (Carlos) got me a jogger for Mother's Day so now my daily hour walks are a lot easier. The jogger has 3 tires like bike tires for easy steering and riding, and the wheels don't look like they are going to fall off if I run like they do in the stroller. Mother's Day was fun and busy visiting all the moms and Carlos' baseball game. Being a mother for only 4 months makes me realize Mother's Day should be a month per child at least. What do all you moms think? Below you will see the gifts Maddux got his grandmothers for Mother's Day. This was my attempt at being artistic like my friend Eden, but they don't look as good as her pictures. Enjoy!!!!

Little Catcher

2009-04-13T22:52:00.000-07:00

Maddux on the way to baseball practice with daddy.

My Boys

2009-03-20T20:16:00.000-07:00

Maddux:

We can't believe it, but Maddux is 12 weeks old today. Were does the time go? Before we know it he will be walking, yeah. Maddux is doing great. He is now 12 lbs. which is double his birth weight of 6 lbs which means he is gaining about 1/2 lb a week so he is right on track (as Carlos says he is by the book Maddux like his mother), but he is still a little guy. He is in the 25% and 30% for weight and height respectively. This is no suprise to us looking at his parents my guess is that he won't be that tall, but there is still some hope. He has been spoiling us rotten with 6-8 hour sleep streches at night and fun interaction during the day. He now grabs things, like his rattle, and shakes it along with spontaneous smiles and coos which we love. Carlos is afraid to have more kids for fear that the next one can't possibly be as perfect as Maddux.

Carlos:

Carlos is an amazing father (which should come to no suprise to anyone). He always has diaper duty, even in the middle of the night, unless he is at work or the diaper is so bad he might throw up. He always helps me try to get a crying Maddux to sleep any time of night even though he wakes up at 5 am for work. He watches Maddux when I teach for 4 hours Tuesday and Thursday nights which happens to be his fussy time, but Carlos makes it through. He also gives him the bottle when I am gone which is a struggle, but Carlos is patient. He worries a lot when Maddux cries, but I am to the point where I can tell him to not worry it is only gas or hunger. Carlos still can't believe Maddux is real and that we are so blessed to have him. I think it will settle in soon.

Tau:

Tau is becoming a very well behaved dog. Who would have known that by having a baby around he would shape up? He now knows where his bed is and doesn't even try to sleep in our room and when we walk he always walks on the right side of the stroller without daring to pull away. He has only licked Maddux's face once, he mainly smells him and then looses interest. Once Maddux begins crawling, I think Tau will have a new best friend.

Here are some pics of my boys:

5 Week Maddux Update

2009-02-03T19:16:00.000-08:00

After 5 weeks, Maddux is doing great! Since a lot of people kept asking Paige and I the same question, we decided to finally answer it. I won't tell you, but you will find out from the video.
Enjoy!

Little Mad 2.3.09

For the second straight year, I am shaving my head to raise money for childhood cancer research. You can see my website and donate to a good cause by clicking on the link below.
Thank you!
http://www.stbaldricks.org/participants/shavee_info.php?ParticipantKey=2009-59079#

Maddux Update

2009-01-07T20:57:00.000-08:00

Almost two weeks old, Maddux seems to be doing just fine. He is eating well and is getting really good at going through diapers. I still have to get used to covering him when removing his diaper because twice now he has shot streams onto Daddy and himself (not very fun to be a part of, but fun to watch I bet!) He is starting to get in a routine with eating and sleeping which is making it really nice on Paige and I.
It seems like Maddux is developing an interest in sports because he will not sit still or go to sleep when a game is on TV. Instead he likes to passionately cry during crucial parts of a game and let the officials know what a great job they are doing. He is becoming quite a Cubs, Bears, and Nevada fan although he doesn't mind rooting for the Vikings when they are not playing the Bears.

Maddux James Hernandez

2008-12-30T20:53:00.000-08:00

Born December 26th, 2008 at 12:06 pm

Origin of the name:
Maddux- Named after two time Chicago Cubs pitcher and future Hall of Famer who retired this year.
James- Named after my dad.
Hernandez- You guys can figure that one out.

Well this post was originally going to be my week 38 doctor update, but Maddux decided he would grace us with his presence 12 days early. So here is the story of how Maddux came into our lives. See the slide show below for pictures of the little guy from minute 1 up until day 4.

Carlos and I spent Christmas dinner at my mom's house along with Matt, Carlos' family and the Rabes which was of course wonderful. We decided to take bets on when I would go into labor by picking the date and the sex as a tie breaker. Nobody picked December 26th so my mom decided to buy that square so that we wouldn't have any empties. After dinner, we had a great time playing the game Loaded Questions. The reason I mention this game is because everyone claims that all the laughing I did caused me to go into labor, because my contractions began at 11 pm that night. We decided to go in to the hospital when my contractions were 5 minutes apart so we got into the hospital at about 6 am on December 26th. On the way to the hospital I called my mom to let her know she was going to win the bet (if Maddux waited 12 more hours Matt would have won so you can image what his first words to me were). Once at the hospital I was informed I was still only dilated 3 cm. "What? I was 3 cm a week ago and I have been having contractions for 7 hours!" So I was told to walk the halls for an hour or so to see where I am at because they can not admit me until I am at 4 cm. So I painfully do so and an hour later I am at 5 cm (thank goodness). Yeah, here I go into the labor and delivery room about 8 am. I decide to get an epidural to ease the pain, so by the time I got the epidural it was about 10 am. I had what is called a one-sided epidural due to the curve in my spine only one side of my body was numb, but I thought well I guess half the pain is better than all of the pain. They decided to check me and at about 11 am they were shocked to see I was 10 cm and ready to push, but you can't push until the epidural has worn off a little. "So you are telling me I got 1/2 an epidural and it was only in for 1 hour?" Again, at least it took some pain from me. So by the time the epidural wore off it was 11:45 and time to push. Maddux must have really wanted out because it took only 10 pushes (most first time labors take about an hour of pushing) and out he came at 12:06 pm, a baby boy. Carlos and I were so blessed to have all of our family and my two best friends Whitney and Eden there for the birth. Eden (the amazing photographer) took some great photos so click her link The Thome Family off to the side to see her pictures. This experience has truly been a miracle and I can see why people have so many children. Carlos and I are so thankful to have such supportive family and friends, so thanks to you all.

Stats:
Weight: 6 lbs 1/2 oz
Height: 19 in
Head Circumference: 12.75 in
Birth Score: 9.9 (they told a concerned Carlos that no baby gets a 10)

Ok, I know this is really what you wanted to see. Enjoy the slide show of the beginning of our new life with the most perfect baby boy.

Week 37 and Belly Shots

2008-12-19T19:34:00.000-08:00

Yeah, we have made it to week 37 which means the bun in the oven is officially cooked. If the baby is done developing at 37 weeks, why does pregnancy go 40 weeks? I guess if I was warm and happy in goo I wouldn't want to come out into the freezing, crazy world either. I am still feeling great and staying active and Carlos is still great and supportive, although I am sure he panics every time I call him at work. Anyway here is the week 37 update and belly pics (from week 36, don't forget to vote):

Doctor Stats
Week 37:

Total weight gain: 25 lbs.

Dilated 3 cm (baby doesn't come out until 10 cm). This doesn't mean much, according to doc, we could go into labor tonight or not for a couple weeks so he said to make sure our bag is packed (clearly he doesn't know me or he would know that bag was packed a week ago). He is pretty sure though that this baby will be here in December, but who knows, we are just trying to be patient. Belly pictures courtesy of Eden Thome, a great friend with an amazing photography talent and 2 beautiful sons of her own.

Pregnancy

2008-12-10T18:45:00.000-08:00

I can't believe I am going to say this, but at 36 weeks, this is my favorite stage of pregnancy. Here are the following reasons why I should NOT be saying this. My lungs, which are usually in great shape, have contributed to me sounding like a fat, old man going up the stairs when I am trying to do a basic function like stand up and teach my classes. My stomach is nothing like it used to be, I get so sad to see the extra 3 enchiladas on my plate not get eaten because now only 2 fit in my small stomach. My bladder is determined to force me to go to the bathroom every hour or so, which is annoying since I teach hour and 15 minute classes. My colon, according to the doctor, is the reason I am having a slight pain behind my left ribs and of course all the gas (eewww). But why is all of this happening? Because I have a fully developed baby in my stomach, of course my organs can't breathe!! Which brings me to why this is my favorite stage of pregnancy......I have a fully developed little life that I am entirely responsible for in my stomach. At this point I can feel all the movements and even arms as they move across my belly. Our doctor has us counting how long it takes for the baby to reach 10 movements (rule of thumb: if it takes more than 2 hours call hospital), our baby is always between 5 and 10 minutes. This, according to the doc, is a very good sign: lots of activity=good brain development. But it doesn't bother me that this baby is moving all the time and is never sleeping, because as long as it is moving I know it is in there. I have also noticed that everybody loves a pregnant woman. Up at campus and around town I am always getting looks at the belly then big smiles at me or Carlos which makes me feel really good and proud. Lastly, the anticipation at this stage is so exciting. When will the baby come? Is it a boy or girl (vote to the right of the screen, belly pictures coming to help make your decision)? What will it look like? etc...In conclusion, I couldn't be any happier about this pregnancy and can't wait to see the little one.

Doctor stats
Week 36:

Total weight gain: 23 lbs.
Baby's head is down:)

Keep posted for belly pictures.

Meaning of the Equation and a little more...

2008-11-22T20:02:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone, and welcome to the Hernandez Family Blog. We have made a short movie that will give you an insight to our family. Hope you like it.

Finally

2008-10-18T08:28:00.000-07:00

Tau, Paige, Carlos and Baby finally have a blog!