We have a new member of our family! This handsome new man is Max Peter Wollenberg. He was born September 24th, 2019 at 12:03pm. He weighed in at a whopping 9lbs 9oz and 22 inches long. We are already so in love with him. Here's a quick rundown on Mr. Max so far.
His Name
We have always had a hard time picking out boy names. Zach was named Zach because it was the only boy name that Nate and I really liked. For Max, Nate brought up the name one day and we thought it fit nicely with Zoe and Zach so we kept it. Peter, his middle name, comes from a dear friend of ours, Peter Kelm, who passed away two years ago after a battle with cancer. Peter was my pastor when I lived in Cincinnati and then his family stayed close family friends with us. Nate got to know the Kelms because they lived in Mequon while we were dating and attending Concordia. My friend Angie (Peter's wife) and their kids (Jacob, Caleb, and Chloe) are going to be Max's godparents.
His Arrival
Toward the end of my pregnancy with Max, I was having growth ultrasounds to track Max's weight. Max was measuring about a week or so ahead so they decided to go ahead and induce on my due date, September 24th. We went in to the hospital at 6am that morning. By the time everything was hooked up and ready to go, it was about 6:45am. Every thing was moving along at a slow but steady pace. Around 8am they broke my water, not my favorite pastime. Then I got the epidural, that is when things always make a turn for the better. The nurse was making fun of me because I wasn't having painful contractions yet. Here's the deal though, I was not waiting until things got painful to take away the pain. I like to be proactive. Haha. Also, with both Zoe and Zach, once my body was free of the painful contractions, it relaxed and my labor progressed quickly. Max's labor was no exception. As soon as that epidural started working well, we were in business. I had about a 5.5 hour labor and maybe pushed for 6 minutes. Now, the pushing was not pleasant. Max's heart rate had dropped more than what the doctor was comfortable with so she asked to use a vacuum to get him out quickly. She did a fabulous job of keeping calm during a stressful situation and delivered Max safely. He came out a bit purple so the doctor cut the cord and they took him over to get some oxygen. This worried me because they didn't just hand him to me like they handed Zach to me. I kept asking if he was okay. Nate assured me that he was fine. I didn't really believe him because there were like three medical professionals around him and I could see a mask on his face. I wanted to hear it from the people in the scrubs that he was okay. He was just fine and I should have trusted Nate, however, hormones during labor don't really help you think straight.
Meeting My New Guy
Daddy Getting Some Snuggles
Love
Proof of His Weight
I can't handle this cuteness.
Hi Everyone!
Big Sister and Big Brother
Zoe was exctied about him from the moment she saw him. Because we live in small-town Hoyleton, we were worried that the news would travel fast and get to Zoe before we had a chance to tell her that she had a baby brother and that his name was Max. So her teacher, Francee, agreed to let us FaceTime her during the school day to tell Zoe about her new baby brother. It's one of the sweet perks of a little Lutheran school and your daughter's teacher being a friend from college that you've known for almost 15 years. It was super sweet. Zoe, Francee and I all got emotional during the call. It was very special. Zach was a little stand-offish at first when it came to the new baby. At first. I think it was because Mommy was holding a new baby. It turns out that he was fine with the baby when Daddy was holding him. The next day when Zach came to the hospital I got out of the hospital bed and sat on the couch. I think that he was just a little nervous that Mommy was in a hospital bed. Ever since we have brought Max home, Zach always wants to know where the baby is and gets upset if we take Max somewhere without him. I foresee them getting into a lot of trouble in the future.
Zoe Meeting Max on FaceTime
Here they come!
Happy Kids!
Zoe got to him first.
Zoe giving Max the bear they built him.
She's so happy!
...and smitten.
They make out okay for getting a new brother.
Opening her Barbies from Max
Happy Girl!
Happy Guy!
My three!
He loves him.
She's so in love.
Heading home to Hoyleton
See ya hospital!
We have been very blessed with meals, cards, and gifts! Thanks everyone for your support while we continue to welcome this guy into the world.
That's all for now! God is good!