Goodbye Baby....Hello Little Boy!

It's true....our little man is growing up fast! It seems like just yesterday that he was a little baby and now he's turning into a little boy! In the last month, Maksim has begun giggling, rolled over to his tummy, enjoyed hours and hours of bouncing fun, and even went underwater!

THE GIGGLE
Maks is officially a giggler! Although often he combines giggling with a fake cough, and has actually patented the giggle-cough.

He's occassionally performed a true giggle without the cough addition, but the giggle cough technique is actually his favorite. This makes Mommy and Daddy laugh every time we hear it, to Maksim's delight of course.

THE ROLL
It all started at 1 week old.... when he first rolled over from his stomach to his back and shocked Mom and Dad with his skills! After that he continued to show us this skill for awhile until about 2 months when he decided that wasn't fun anymore and he didn't want to perform it any longer. He did make a rare rolling appearance a few weeks ago, but that was it. However, he has now conquered the back to front roll, and it is one of his new favorite things to do...all...the...time! (even while we sleep!)

The only downfall to this new rolling over fascination is the fact that Maks has apparently forgotten that he knows how to roll back over onto his back... which means, he hangs out on his tummy for a bit and then gets upset and needs Mom and Dad to come help him out. This is all fine, except for when it occurs....at night time...2, 3 and 4 times a night! We are working very diligently to remind him of his front to back rolling ability so we can get some sleep again!

THE BOUNCE

Bouncy, bouncy, bouncy...words heard often in our house. Maksim has had very strong legs for awhile now and is always kicking! So, we decided to get him a activity bouncer (after we tested our friend Sawyer's old one)... and he LOVES it! he is still about an inch from touching the ground when he's in it, but that's no problem for Maks... he just kicks and kicks until he gets the whole thing to bounce. He really really enjoys it and spends a lot of time bouncing...

We can't wait to see what he does with this once he can actually touch the ground! At this point, I'm pretty sure Maksim is planning to become a professional bouncer...not the bar kind, the acrobatic kind... ok maybe not.

THE DUNK

We started Maks off swimming in the kiddy pool at home with Mom and Dad (no, thankfully there are no pictures of this!). He hesitated at first and then began to enjoy it. When we were in Utica a few weeks ago for a wedding we had some time to relax at our friends Meghan and Joe's house in their pool. Maksim borrowed some of Sawyer's old clothes and hats and in the big pool we went! he LOVED it! Mommy held him, while he kicked his legs and enjoyed the pool for about 45 mins (and then again later for another 20!) With some encouragement from Meghan, Mommy and Daddy decided Maks was old enough to go under water for the first time!! we were slightly nervous but knew our little man could do it....

He did so great!! So instead of being a professional bouncer... he is now planning on being the next Micheal Phelps!! We're headed for gold, baby!!

So as you can see, the last month has been eventful. We can't wait to see what is still to come! Here are a few pics of Maks, from the last month as he grew to be 4 months old!

We added Maksim into the Gerber Generation contest!! Voting starts early September!! VOTE FOR MAKSIM!!

He's a happy smiley boy!

He's discovered his toes and loves to play with them! he also is wondering why there is always a camera in his face

Tummy Time is fun!







3 months .... already??

Wow, time really does fly when you're having fun! Maksim is now 3 months old, somedays it feels like just yesterday that he was born and then other days it feels like he's been a part of our lives forever.

In the past 3 months, Maksim has really started to become his own little person with his own personality. He is a happy boy, smiling often for Mommy and Daddy. But don't get me wrong, he can be a cranky little boy sometimes! Mark has been slowly figuring out Maks's daytime schedule (or lack there of so far) and doing a great job at balancing his 2 jobs, raising our son and working as a social media consultant for a real estate agent. He truly does an amazing job and I look at him daily in awe of how lucky we are to have him. I still have a hard time leaving Maks in the morning but at least I know he's in great hands. He spends his days hanging out at home with Daddy, they play, sleep, eat, work, play, sleep, eat, work, play...you see the pattern! Maksim makes time for his morning workouts too..

One of Maksim's favorite things to do is to play on his activity center with his birdie friends (he got that from Grandma and Papa Huss). He hits at them to get them to move and hear their sounds and he just recently has begun grabbing onto them ... hopefully he won't pull the whole thing down, he's a strong boy.

 Coming home after work and seeing all my boys is the best feeling, and getting big smiles when I walk in the door makes my day! Any stresses of the day melt away when I see this smiley face...

 In the past 3 months Maks has done alot! He experienced his first NHL draft with Daddy... they were all suited up and prepared too. Daddy had been prepping him for the event for weeks and Maksim was very excited. Especially since he got to wear his skates that Grandma Huss made for him.

He spent time with Grandma and Papa Huss when they came to visit, we went to the Dinosaur Park, the New England Air Museum, and to the Elizabeth Park rose garden. Maksim even got to go to church for the first time, and he did very well! I think he enjoyed it best when everyone was singing hymns to him. Mark got to spend his first Fathers' Day with his father and his son, that was pretty special.

Maks also got to spend time with his Nana and Papa Zacholl and oldest Cousin Byancia when they visited on Mommy's birthday. We all went to Mystic and saw the seaport, walked through the shops and walked on the beach. It was a great birthday spent with my family.

Maks also got to spend time with Aunt Meghan and friend Sawyer, we spent the day at the beach and he loved it!

Lately he's been really vocal and chatting it up, he's going to start speaking full sentences any day now, I'm sure of it. :) He practices his grrrr sounds with Daddy and has conversations with Mommy.

Everyday is an adventure and one that we couldn't imagine life without. We are so lucky to have such a happy little man and look foward to the next 3 months!

Introducing.... Maksim Thomas Huss

He's here, he's finally here!!

I'm sure by now you've all heard that Maksim Thomas arrived on April 18th at 4:49pm. He weighed 8lbs 5oz and was 21in long.

Maksim entered the world ensuring that he had a story to tell!

After waiting almost 2 weeks after my due date for his arrival, Mark and I went into the hospital to have them start inducing me. We were supposed to go on the evening of Tuesday the 17th, however the hospital called and told us that they had no rooms available so we needed to come in the morning instead. So we got up early on Wednesday the 18th and headed to the hospital. Once we got there they hooked me up to an IV, put the baby heart monitors on me and started the Pitocin (inducing medicine). Mark and I were getting a little bored hanging out waiting for his arrival...

Mark played doctor

all hooked up and ready to go

last family picture as a family of 2

Thumbs up! lets do this!

So we continued to wait... until about 3:30ish when Mark and I noticed that Maksim's heartbeat on the monitor had shot up to about 195 and then dropped to about 24, and it wasn't going back up. We were nervous so we called the nurse and told them we wanted someone to come check the monitor since the baby's heartbeat had dropped. A nurse ran into our room, and tried to move the monitor to find his heartbeat, the next thing we knew they were calling for the residents, more nurses and our doctor... everyone was rushing into our room and Mark and I really didn't realize what was going on at first. They started flipping me from side to side to try to find Maks's heartbeat - at this point we were really scared, they didn't find his heartbeat and we heard our doctor say... ok we have to go - let's bring her in for an emergency c-section now! I was so scared and I saw the look on Mark's face... he was so scared too, we hadn't expected this at all. They rushed me into the operating room and when I got in there they were getting me all ready and all of a sudden his heartbeat returned. The doctor made everyone stop and take a breath, at this point since his heartbeat was back and steady she said that Mark was going to come into the room so that we could discuss if we wanted to do a c-section anyways or go back into the room and try more Pitocin. When Mark walked in I was so happy to see him, we immediately decided that the c-section was the right way for us to go, we didn't want to risk this all happening again. So they put in my epidural and got us ready for a c-section. I was happy that I wasn't being put under since that meant that Mark could be in the room with me. He held my hand the whole time and then... we heard the cries of our baby boy... the sweetest sound we've ever heard. Of course we sobbed in happiness and relief that he was ok and had finally arrived. They brought him over for Mark to hold for the first time, it was amazing. He was the most beautiful little man we had ever seen and we couldn't be happier. (We never did find out why we lost his heartbeat, the doctors didn't find anything wrong with him or any reason of why it dropped so much - guess it will always be a mystery.) It was a long and very emotional day but we were so happy to finally be a family of 3! (well 5 counting our furry boys)

our little man

our new addition to our family

sad baby boy! he's even adorable when he cries!

Daddy's hand is delicious!

 Maksim is now almost a month old (24 days old to be exact) and it just feels like yesterday that all of that happened. He is a blessing and we are cherishing every moment with him. He makes us laugh with his silly faces, and crazy sleeping positions. He does silly things like suck on Daddy's nose - which apparently is delicious! He also loves his bouncer and plays and sleeps in it often. At night he does a pretty good job sleeping - going about 4-5 hours before he wakes up for a feeding and then goes back to sleep for about another 3-4 hours... we feel pretty lucky about this. He really is a great baby! He barely cries and is overall very happy. He smiles alot and lets us see his adorable dimples.

mmm Daddy's nose!

Happy Boy! look at those dimples!

Just lounging

Mommy and Me

I love cuddling after a bath

At one week old we decided to have him do some tummy time and to our surprise.. he rolled over! 3 times!! and he has continued to do so since... he really is such a strong little boy! He stands up regularly and is already holding his head up on his own. He's going to be crawling and walking in no time - we're in trouble!

We went to NY to have Maksim meet his family in early May. First stop was Utica to meet Aunt Meghan, Uncle Joe, Aunt Kenzie, and their parents, and of course Maksim's soon to be best friend Sawyer. We didn't realize how little Maks was until we saw him next to Sawyer - who is about 13 months old. Before we know it they are going to be the same size and running all around together. We next went to Syracuse to stay at Nana and Papa Zacholl's house -They had already met Maks however since they were at the hospital when he was born, but of course they were so excited to see him again. On Sunday it was off to Rochester to meet Grandma and Papa Huss, Uncle Brian, Aunt Beth and Brian, Uncle Bob, Aunt Eileen, Cousins Aaron, Cody and Daityn, Great Grandma Huss and Great Grandma Griffin. It was a great day with family and Maks was soo good and loved being held by everyone. On Monday, we went back to Syracuse to pick up Beckham and stopped in to see Great Grandma Zacholl - she was so happy to meet him. On Tuesday... we headed home with a brief stop in Albany to meet Great Grandma and Great Grandpa Krupa. It was a great trip to see family and we are so glad everyone got to meet Maks when he was still so young. We also did a photo shoot with our friend Bob and can't wait to see all the great pictures (We got a sneak preview which is below, Bob sent it to me for Mothers' Day from Maks).

Maks gave me this for Mothers Day (with the help of Bob Pease Photography!)



 I celebrated my first Mothers' Day on Sunday and it was a fantastic day! Mark gave me my present when I woke up and it was a beautiful heart bracelet from my boys. Then he made me a delicous breakfast of eggs benedict and potatoes... it was sooo good! We then decided to go for a mini hike - our first in CT! I carried Maks in his Baby Bjorn and he was a sleep in it before we even started hiking. We didn't go far but it was a beautiful day out - about 85 degrees - and it was nice to be outside for a little while. We stopped for ice cream on the way home and spent the rest of the day relaxing at home with our little family. It truly was a great first Mothers' Day!

my beautiful bracelet and cuddly boy

We are really enjoying being home with Maksim (and of course Bex and Milo - who have both been great with Maks, Milo pretty much ignores him and Bex just likes to lick him ... alot!) and know that we are so lucky to be able to both be on maternity and "paternity" leave together. We couldn't be happier with our little family!! We look forward to all the fun adventures and moments to come. Thank you to our family and friends for all the congratulations and well wishes you've sent our way! :)

Showers, Moves, and Swelling??

I know, I know, it’s been a while since I’ve updated this blog. I had good intentions on updating it several times in the past few months, unfortunately life got in the way…. Which I’m sure is just preparing me for our new crazy life to come!
So, updates…. Showers, Moves, and Swelling??

In February, we went up to New York for my baby showers! They were so fun! On Saturday the 18th, I had my Syracuse shower with the Zacholl and Krupa families, as well as a few Huss's, and all my NY friends – my mom and BFF Meghan threw me the shower and it was so great! They really did a fantastic job (pictures were taken but I’m not allowing viewing of them due to my unhappiness of my physical appearance… I can do that!) They even did a onesie decorating contest, which resulted in sooo many cute onesies that I can’t wait to see Baby Maks in! It really was a great day and we were definitely feeling the love since we left with several car fulls of presents! On Sunday, the 19th, Mark and I went to Rochester for a “Jack and Jill” type baby shower where it was more of a Baby celebration with Mark's family than a traditional shower. Maksim’s Grandma and Grandpa Huss threw us this shower and it again was fantastic! We had a great time visiting with family and of course, felt the love again since we left with tons of gifts for the baby! Both showers resulted in so many presents for our tiny little man that we actually took one car full home to NC (only items that we could immediately need if Maksim decided to show up early), one car full to my Aunt Bev & Uncle John’s house in CT (items we would need soon after the baby was born since they would be closest to us in our new CT house), and finally we left a car full at my parents house of items he wouldn’t need immediately. Phew… it was an exhausting but fabulous weekend!! Once we got home we realized there were still some items that we needed so we took a Saturday and went to Buy Buy Baby, Babies R Us and Target and finished buying everything we needed from our registries… wow – there was sooo much stuff! We got some great deals and most of all it made me feel like we were actually ready for Maksim’s arrival….well at least in terms of “stuff”.

where's the baby going to go??

I’m sure you all know by now that we have made a move in the middle of this pregnancy craziness
as well. I took a new position with my company which involved us moving to the Hartford, CT area.
Although I could have technically done the job from NC, we were happy to move up to CT to be closer to our families. Being 11 hours away had taken its toll on us for sure. We went up to house hunt in mid – January and of course found a house in a record 3 days! (That’s how we roll!) We ended up buying a house that was as close to our NC house in terms of space, bedrooms, bathrooms, etc as we could and still stay in our price range (which was NOT easy as we’ve learned that EVERYTHING is more expensive in Connecticut!!) We bought in a neighborhood called Sinnott Farms in Bloomfield, CT. The house is really nice and still has 3 bedrooms and 2.5 baths like we had in NC, although we did go from 2100 sq feet to 1800 sq feet but we have a basement again which helps. We were able to sell our NC house – thankfully – and made the move up to our new home in CT on March 12th. So we’ve been up here for about 2 weeks now and still feel like we have sooooo much to do! Mark has been feverously working on organizing and setting up the house every day since we’ve moved in, (not to mention taking care of me when I get home by making dinner and rubbing my ridiculously swollen feet..we’ll get to those!) – he really is a rock star and I’m sooo lucky to have him!! My parents came out last weekend to bring Beckham and Milo (they had been watching the furry grandkids) and to help us with some house stuff…it was a huge help and we are really glad to have our boys back – we missed them. Maksim’s room is all painted (thanks to the help of Mark, Aunt Bev and Mom Z!) and is almost done being organized, we’ll finish that room this weekend to make sure we are all set for our little man’s arrival!

Still lots to do!! like put the crib together!

It’s definitely been crazy with the chaos of a move and being 9 months pregnant… a little tougher than I originally thought – which is evidenced by my regular moments of sobbing due to the overwhelming amount of boxes that need to be unpacked and “stuff” that needs to be done, combined with a new doctor who just met me and a new hospital to deliver at, not to mention a new job… it happens, and at this point Mark is used to it and would probably be shocked if I didn’t break down on a regular basis. All in all, we are happy in our new house and can’t wait to see Maksim have his series of “firsts” in this home… we are sure that this will make it feel even more like our “home”, rather than just another house.

Our new house in CT

Oh Swelling... I had heard stories about it, but never ever could I have been truly prepared for the
absolute insane amount of swelling that I am now enduring. Not sure if my family and friends just didn’t want to warn me of this awfulness, or if I’m the only lucky one to endure it at this level. In the last week, I have not only lost my ankles, but I am quite sure that someone has cut off my thin, nice feet, calves and ankles and replaced them with tree trunks in the middle of the night! It was not a nice trick and I would really like my original extremities back please! When I say tree trunks… I am NOT
exaggerating! By the end of the day my feet look like they are going to pop and the distinction between my feet ending and my calves beginning is gone… just gone! I come home and put them up (yes above my heart!) and ice them and then my amazing husband rubs them to make the fluid go back to its home!! We honestly just look at them and laugh in disbelief… it’s truly comical that they look this way… I'd post a picture but there are some things that no one needs to see! In addition to this, I’ve been feeling my hands swelling and my right hand has been tingling as if it’s asleep, nonstop. I discovered that this is pregnancy carpal tunnel syndrome… again, lucky me! It is probably one of the most annoying feelings ever! And the fact that I work on a computer and use a mouse on a daily basis does not help it at all! Unfortunately I’ve been told this won’t go away until a few weeks after I have Maksim… yay. Thankfully, this is my last week at work and then I will be home until I have the baby and then out of work for another 8 weeks. I look forward to wearing yoga pants, tank tops and flip flops on a daily basis! Also, I have decided based upon this swelling, the carpal tunnel, and high level of discomfort I’m feeling due to the sheer size of my enormous stomach…. That I am ready to have this child! I would like control of my body back please. Yes, it’s time, I’m there, let’s do this!

38 weeks and feeling huge!!

Lastly, some Maksim updates… he’s a growing boy! We are continuously reminded that this will most likely be a big boy! At my 36 week appointment I was measuring about a week and a half ahead, again confirming the large size of our baby boy. I’m now 38 weeks and they have stopped measuring but I’m quite sure he’s already in the 7 lb range… I’m wishing for an 8lb baby, but thinking he’ll be more like 9 or more…. Keep me in your thoughts. Although, maybe he’ll surprise us…. You never know. I was never naive enough to think we’d have a small baby, I mean Mark and I are not exactly tiny people. My NC boss used to tell me that she thinks he will be a very long baby and that when I deliver, they will just keep pulling and pulling and pulling… thanks… that’s a comforting thought Janine!! In all honesty, based upon some of the small babies my Krupa family has had over the past few years, I am more than happy to have a big, healthy baby boy. Lately I find myself wondering what he will look like, will he get Mark’s beautiful blue eyes (fingers crossed!!), will he be blonde like Mark was when he was born or will he have my dark hair, will he have my lips or Mark’s nose… honestly I picture him as a mini Mark – which makes me smile every time I think of it!

This pregnancy has been a journey – it has had its ups and downs but we’ve gotten through it all and
now we just can’t wait to meet little Maksim and have him be the light of our life. I can’t believe we are in the final weeks… it seems like just yesterday I was walking out of the bathroom, holding a pregnancy test, shaking and crying as I told Mark we were having a baby. (As I’m writing this sentimental thought, Maks is kicking me to remind me he’s there and that he’s almost ready to come out!) As we get closer to the arrival of Baby Huss we will keep you all updated. My next blog update will include pictures of our new little man, Maksim Thomas Huss.

On the move.....

Yes, you read that right... lots of moving is happening in this family.

First, Baby Maksim is quite the mover and kicker! His daddy is convinced he's going to be a soccer player... or a black belt in Karate. Every night we've been doing our kick counts and he completes all 10 in about 5-15 minutes (they want him to kick 10 times in at least 2 hours). Lately its begun to be a little less kicking and some more moving, I can feel him rolling and rotating all over. He's also apparently really likes to sleep under my ribcage - not my most favorite time. We love feeling him kick and move... makes us smile everytime. When we went to the doctor on January 13th we were able to see another sonogram of our little boy. Well I guess I shouldn't say little... apparently he's in the 63rd percentile for weight! at that stage the average baby is about 2 lbs and Maks was about 2 lbs 14 oz.... a growing boy! He also is still a boy.. confirmed! He decided he still didn't want a pic taken of his face so, we'll have to wait a little longer to see our little man. Ok so I guess its Baby Bump photo time... here's a 30 week photo shoot and proof of our little (big) boy's size....

As you can see, I've (we've) been doing some growing... getting off the couch has become a difficult task, bending over to pick things up is next to impossible and reaching my toes is a long lost dream. At least I'm lucky enough to have a fantastic Husband who helps me off the couch, to pick things up, and....paints my toenails. :) I'm a lucky girl!! We're in the final stretch... 31 weeks this friday, less than 10 weeks to go! Although we're thinking Baby Maks will be an early delivery, but we'll wait and see!!

In anticipation for Baby Huss's arrival we've been refinishing a dresser that was Mark's when he was little for our little man's room. We finally finished it today and we are very proud! Keep in mind that Mark and I are not handy and this is really our first successful project! we have one more dresser to refinish for his room, we'll start working on that this weekend.

So....what's the second move you ask? well, that's us. I've taken a new position in my companies Home Office in Hartford, Connecticut... so we're moving north! Although we will miss the fantastic North Carolina weather, we are so excited to be only 4-6 hours from our family and friends. Some family is even closer - my Aunt Bev, Uncle John and Rachel only will be about 1 hour away! We went up to CT last week and did 3 days of house hunting, and just like we did on our 3 day NC house hunt, we bought a house!! its in a little town called Bloomfield - which is only about 10 mins from West Hartford Center which is an area we loved!! We are really excited and should be moving up there and closing on our house on March 12th. We've enjoyed our time in North Carolina but are looking forward to our new adventures in Connecticut... with our little man Maks.

2012 - The year of Baby Huss

Happy New Year!!

Although 2011 was a great year for us, we are so excited that it is 2012!! This is the year that our lives will change forever after the birth of our little Maksim. It's crazy to think that we are only a few months away... feels like we have so much to do still! 

We had a great Christmas, just relaxed at home... basically had our last quiet Christmas as a family of 2 (well 4 including our furry children). We did attempt a 2011 Christmas pic...

However as you can see it didn't go so well, which is why it didn't make it to the Christmas card! The furry children were not cooperative. I did however do an excellent job hiding the baby bump! Alright... I'll show you my Christmas baby bump.

Yes.... I'm definitely growing... and feeling quite large lately! Its getting tougher to get up from the couch, to pick up things on the floor, and squeeze through tight places.  However, I do enjoy people saying I look great and am not big :) So feel free to send some compliments my way! 

The other morning I all of the sudden realized we were already 26 weeks into our pregnancy - only 14 more to go! When I mentioned this to Mark, I could see some fear in his eyes.... the birth of baby Maks is right around the corner and we are sooooo not prepared!! ahhhhh!! Of course that means that I immediately was like "we need to register, we need to re-finish his dresser/changing table, we need to do his room, we need to this, we need to that".... deep breaths..... Since Mark was now also feeling the crunch we were able to finally make the time to go and register (check 1 thing off our list!). So today we went to Buy Buy Baby, Target, and Babies R Us and registered and let me tell you... that is not only tiring, but overwhelming too! Wow!!! There are sooooo many things that you need for a baby, who knew!? (ok probably most of you did). Thankfully Buy Buy Baby gave us a personal shopper who was an expert that was able to give us advice and help us not go insane.... they were great! This store is so fantastic... and since they are owned by Bed Bath and Beyond, you can get 20% off coupons too... SCORE! Unfortunately the other 2 stores where not quite as helpful but at this point we had it pretty much down. (side note: I've inclued links to our registries on the right side of this blog, as a convenience to anyone who wants to see them.)  It definitely feels great to have the registry done... next step... re-finish the dresser. We are using a dresser that Mark had when he was a child and we are re-finishing it to match our crib and also plan to make it into a changing table. Now if only we could find a weekend to start.. and finish... this project. 

On to Maks... he's doing great. Kicking a ton! He's finally kicking strong enough the Mark is able to feel him. Its an incredible feeling and I get a little smile on my face every time I feel him kick me and remind me he's in there. We had our last doctors appointment on December 27th and everything looked great! he's a healthy growing boy. At our next appointment in January we get to have another sonogram (mainly because he was such a mover and shaker at our 20 week appointment that they couldn't get all the needed pics!). As far as how Maks is growing.... apparently the network of nerves in his ears are better developed and more sensitive than before and he may be able to hear our voices now - so we make sure to talk to him more. He also seems to kick a lot when I get in the car and turn the music on and start singing... so I'm convinced he's dancing! He's also a growing boy.... weighing almost 2 lbs and about 14 inches long - about the length of an english cucumber. (I love the vegetable and fruit references!). Overall... he's doing great and growing quickly! We can't wait to meet our lil man in 14 weeks (or less... or more!). I'm definitely carrying Maks very low though, which makes me think he's ready to pop out at any time... we've had talks with him about staying in until he's fully cooked - so he better listen! Since I'm sure you can't get enough of your baby bump pics... here are 2 taken today.

Overall, life is good... and we are looking forward to an extremely happy and healthy 2012!