Hi all,
We hope you each had a great Christmas and are looking forward to the New Year. We've had a great first Christmas with Ryan. Here's our latest developments:

- My sister Kirstyn is engaged! Her fiance Eric is a wonderful guy and he popped the question the Tuesday before Christmas. They hope to be married sometime next year...let the planning begin.

- Ryan's sick...he had a fever again on Friday so the pediatrician wanted to see us asap. Turns out he has his first official cold. (And all of you thought I was being neurotic about the hand sanitizer). He's pretty miserable and his eye is closed shut with gook, but we keep thanking God that we're dealing with a cold and not the illnesses we were looking at during our stay at Devos Children's Hospital.

- He's a growing boy: On Tuesday his weight was 7lbs 15 oz. By Friday he was at 8lbs 2 oz! And his umbilical cord fell off yesterday. Time is flying by. Today was one of my due dates (we had the 25th and 28th as due dates...) it's so bizarre that he's already been with us for 2.5 weeks!

That's it from GR. Love to all,
Court, Max & Ryan

Our first Christmas as a family.

Ryan's still smiling, though he's got a nasty cold.

Our annual Christmas with the Holohans turned into a Wii challenge...among the grown ups.

Cali is adjusting to her role as guardian of the baby, but she's definitely feeling a little neglected. Thankfully Mary was there to pay tons of attention to her canine pal.

Ryan, asleep, finally!

Kirstyn and fiance, Eric.

All Clear!

Merry Christmas Eve everyone!
We certainly are enjoying the holiday already. Yesterday we met with the nephrologist and got the wonderful news that Ryan's kidney blood work came back all clear. I addition, his billiruben count is now at 9! He was at 20 when he was hospitalized and 10.5 when we were released, so this means the numbers are trending down.

(I should mention that Max is laughing hysterically as I type since the noises coming from Ryan's diaper are VERY entertaining.)

Also yesterday, Max's mom Nora, made it into town from Ithaca, NY to meet Ryan. She narrowly missd the horrible weather and is staying for a week, so we are grateful she made it here safe and sound.

Tonight we are headed to our first family outing that is not hospital related for Christmas eve dinner at the Hilikers. Also, we were visited today by my best friend Staci and her family so they could meet Ryan. All in all, a great start to the holiday....gotta run. Time to do a change of the diaper!

Happy holidays,
Love Court, Max & Ryan

Eyes wide open!

Grandma Nora beat the snow to meet her newest Grandson.

Ryan and I tag-teamed the wrapping after Max did ALL our shopping in 4 hours!

As you can tell, Max was a little tired after fighting the mall crowd.

10 years ago, Staci and I were roommates at MSU...who whould have thought all these years later we'd be celebrating Christmas together with our kids!

Ryan and Daddy

Ryan: 5 Hours Old

9 Days Old

Hey all,
Great day all in all today (though the night is looking long as Ryan refuses to be consoled into sleep...) We're currently digging out of a huge winter storm here and prepping for the next round. There's so much snow that Cali cannot go to the bathroom on anything other than the shoveled driveway....and this dog LOVES snow.

- Ryan had his doc appointment with the pediatrician this morning. It went great! He now weighs 7 lbs, 12 oz. When we left the hospital he was 7 lbs, 3 oz, so this is a big step forward. Doc wants to see him next on Jan 2nd for a normal 1 month check up.

- He has returned to breast feeding successfully.

- My feet are back! Maybe you did not know they were ever gone. However, in the weeks of the preeclampsia scare, my feet swelled up huge (think Gweneth Paltrow in Shallow Hal). During labor and delivery it got even worse and the condition stuck around after Ryan was born...They even bruised they were so swollen. Well today they went down enough that I could wear shoes other than my way too big hiking boots. Woo woo.

- Max finished his final nesting project, having assembled a new piece of furniture that he puchased to replace a cart/wine rack that he thought unsafe for Ryan. (Granted, Ryan won't be walking for atleast 8 more months, but he wanted it done!) Mission accomplished.

- Ryan held his head up and pushed off Max's chest. Amazing.

- More photos have been uploaded to our news site: www.maxandcourt.shutterfly.com
Video is coming soon.

Love to you all,
Courtney, Max, Ryan & Cali

Settling back in.

Hey all,
Just a short note to let you all know we are settling back into a "routine" back at home. We got hit with a huge snow storm today...and best of all...Max was suppose to return to work but got a snow day instead. So now Christmas break begins for him and he's home through the New Year.

Ryan is thriving. We have moved from complete breastfeeding to using a pump so we have a tangible measurement of his nutrition until he's given a green light. Tomorrow we have a weigh in and Wednesday we meet with the nephrologist for a check up. Max is excited to be part of the feeding process and it's a huge help since I feel like a dairy cow every 3 hours. We views a video series sent to us by Grand Ettinger that helps us distinguish baby language cries. Between five types of cries, we are not able to better understand how Ryan is feeling. It's amazing.

As I am typing, Ryan just lifted his head off Max's chest for the very first time. He's growing so fast!

We also wanted to let you know we have a ton of photos for those interested. You can visit the link below and even order print should you want a Ryan keepsake. Hope all is well with each of you. Couldn't be much better for us.

Check out the photo site at: http://maxandcourt.shutterfly.com/

Nap time is Daddy's favorite time!

Sleeping beauty.

Ryan snuggled in our new Moby wrap.

Our precious little one has found his hands and even can soothe himself by placing fingers in his mouth.

Just Released

We were just released from the hospital! Ryan's billy ruben count decreased the last two blood draws and his 48 hour cultures were negative for all infections. Theyll continue to watch cultures for 3 more days but we look clear. Sat we meet with docs for weigh in and check up. Wed we do labs again and meet with the nephologist about kidney function, though his creatinin levels are also receding.

We're so happy to be home and away from the hospital's germs. We've been warned to not have ayone around Ryan who has not been healthy for atleast 3 days if they had any illness. Our floor was filled with kis and babies on respirators due to upper rep bugs. So if you want to stop by, please dont be offended if we ask for a blood sample and doctors note at the door! ha ha!

Seriously, thanks to everyone for their love and support. We'll keep you posted, but both Max
and I feel like Ryan is well on his way to being healthy. Six days ago we were given Ryan from God, three days ago we left the hospital with our baby, but today we left Butterworth as parents with a strong little guy...now if someone can just share with us how to de-adhesive a small child......parenthood has begun!

The Latest

Hi all,
Here's where we are at:
- Billy Rubens is down to 12.5! We have more blood work to confirm that he numbers wilnot rebound too high, but this is a great sign. He has been removed from the light box to see what these numbers do naturally on their own.

- For a while today they were worried about renal failure or damage. Within the last 2 hours we've had an ultrasound, had it read and interpreted by the most amazing pediatric renal specialist around! The ultrasound coupled with the lab work he ordered at lunchtime indicate with 90% certainty that Ryan was dehydrated from my milk not coming in fast enough and then when put under the lights for the Billy Rubens, he was massively dehydrated. No damage has been done and he well on his way to regular wet diapers.

- That's it for now. We have more blood work ahead, but Max and I feel confident things are going to be ok. We'll be here for the next day for sure, but I bet they'll let us leave by tomorrow night!

- Thanks to all of you for prayers and well wishes. Once again, they proved effective!

Love to you all,
Court, Max and Ryan!

Prayers, Goodwill, and Good Mojo Please.

We have not had the capacity in the last few hours to call everyone, so sorry for the mass email: Today was to be our first visit to the pediatrician, but during the night, Ryan developed a fever of 100.4. He also had not had a wet diaper in close to 12 hours. When we called our ped's help line early this morning, they sent us straight to the ER.

We were immediately seen in Devos Children's hospital's ER. They took endless amounts of urine, blood, measurements and did a spinal tap within 20 minutes. What has transpired since is nothing short of the scariest thing we've ever experienced. Right now Max and I are sitting in our 4 day year olds hospital room as he sits in an incubator with UV light on him. Ryan's Billy Ruben count was sky high when we showed up. This is the condition commonly known as Jaundice. Lots of kids have this condition (kid turns yellow) and are easily treated. However, for kids like Ryan, their levels can spike so high, so quickly, that seizures can happen. So the docs are treating that issue with the UV light while Ryan lies in a neo-natal incubator. He's been under it since 2pm today and at his 6pm blood draw his numbers dropped from a rating of 20 to 15.5 (lower the better). Unbelievable news. So we are thankful for that. Another indicator is that he began pooping again (something that had slowed down since we got home) and this is what pushes the billy rubens out of his body. He is still not peeing very much, even with the IV, so they are trying to figure that out too.

His other issue is an unexplained fever. The spinal tap, blood cultures, etc are being closely watched and will be for the 5 days for signs of any number of infectious diseases from herpes to meningitis. 24 hours from the time we came in (7am) is critical and will tell us a lot. In 48 hours we will most likely know what's going on. 5 days later will be the conclusive diagnosis of what, if anything he has. Regardless of diagnosis, the docs here treat as though he has infections, so he's on 4 different IV antibiotics to get a jump on  the most likely culprits.  There is also a chance that the fever reveals a virus, like a cold or upper respiratory bug that would not react to the antibiotics. The good news is that as of this afternoon, his white blood count was normal, his heart is strong and his lungs are clear...all things a-typical for kids fighting an infection like sepsis, meningitis, etc.

Today has been the hardest day I've ever had. I think Max would second this notion. Not only are we adjusting to parenthood, the lack of sleep and new routine...but everything has changed again in just 24 hours. We're here for the next 48 hours regardless of diagnosis. We're able to sleep on cots in his room...though we find ourselves awake, jumping up to try and soothe our baby boy in a plastic box, and hearing the screams of the kid next door as I type...At one point today while I was in the bathroom, I mistook the neighbor's cry for Ryan and rushed out excited that he had finally reacted to stimulus... He's naked, expect for a diaper and these tiny sunglasses to protect his eyes, under fluorescent lights. There are so many wires, IV's, etc in him...when we take him out to feed him, we have to unhook 7 different cables alone. He's also got a board taped to his left arm that protects his IV...but he keeps whacking himself with it as he squirms around. Then again, up until 5pm, he was not moving or reacting to stimulus at all, so seeing him come out of it and cry is the best sounds we've ever heard. Ironically in the midst of all this, my milk has come in. So a lactation specialist was here and taught me to use the breast pump. The change and the trauma of today leaves Ryan unwilling to breast feed (who can blame him) but he is eating what I pump through a bottle. Max was so excited to get to feed him tonight for the first time. It was a highlight.

Also, in the last day, we've had two other things we are grieving about. The night before we came in, we got news that Max's 95 year old grandma fell and broke her pelvis. Her health has recently been declining and she had to move out of her house last month and into a nursing home. We fear this fall and recovery might break her spirit. Also, many of you know my friend Mindy. Her grandmother passed this afternoon after a brave fight with pancreatic cancer leaving behind her husband of 68 years. She is  a dear person to Max and I as we have spent many a family celebration with her and the Geurinks as well as summers at her cottage. She will be sorely missed, but remains a huge part of our hearts. Our thoughts and prayers are with the entire Geurink clan.

We're asking for no visitors or calls if possible since we are constantly trying to help (they leave lots for the parents to do so they feel involved), but we promise to post news on the blog as soon as we know anything. If everyone could pray for us, we would really appreciate it. My parents have been awesome (as usual) and are helping watch the dog, bring us food, etc, so we are covered on the things that I know you'd all offer to do. We've gotten so many amazing emails in reaction to Ryans birth. I know that all our loved ones (YOU) will be equally as supportive and more as we pray for positive outcomes to the situation.

All our love,

Court, Max and Ryan

The next 24 hours!

We promise that as the days progress, we will not be so picture crazy...but were in love! We cannot get over how beautiful Ryan is...these pics just don't do him justice. Even his little cry makes the nurses laugh its so cute!

We've gotten some sleep and Ryan is already a nursing pro. All his labs and tests are great and my infection did not pass on to him. I'm sore but feel so much better today, just very swollen from the complications and tons of IV fluids. Max is already the dad who's on top of everything...he's out installing the car seat as I one hand type this message and hold our sleeping little guy. We had a few close friends and family members by yesterday, though I know a lot of you locally wanted to stop by...we'll be up for visitors in the next few weeks at the house. promise!

We're headed home in just a few hours but wanted to get all our family some additional pictures. We'll keep you all posted as our journey progresses.

love to you all.
Court, Max & Ryan

Aunt Mindy came by later in the evening for a first peak at our little man.

Max at about 6am this morning.

This almost captures how cute Ryan is!

He is very reflective!

The baby is here!

Hello Team Kerry!
We are thrilled to announce the arrival of Ryan Thomas Kerry. Here's the stats:
- Born 12-11-08 (his great aunt Inga's b-day!)
- Arrival 6:13 pm
- 7lbs, 6oz (thank God I did not go to our due date, 12-25)
- 19 inches long
- Perfect in every way!

Here's the scoop. Ryan came into the world in the most unexpected of ways. On 12-10 (Tues.) right after lunch, my water broke at the office. The previous day my chiro had started work that was suppose to take several visits to induce me using a nerve in my lower sacrum area since at this point I was going to be induced by my doc due to my almost preeclampsia status. Apparently Dr. Kathy is very good since my water broke 24 hours later at about 1pm!

My DDM crew was with me the whole way as they gathered in the bathroom to help me (no one prepared you for how to handle your water breaking). Plus, since this was early, I had loose ends to wrap up and everyone hopped to it as we held an impromptu meeting. Max showed up and drove me home so we could gather our supplies for the hospital and off we went.

By 3pm we were at the hospital and 70% effaced and dilated to one....the same reading the previous day from my doc. Honestly, we should and wanted to stay home, by doc office insisted we go due to my weird complications. We checked into the best room ever (Corner suite with all the bells in whistles) which was to be the room we labored and birthed in for the next 27 hours.)

The long and the short of it is this: we had a very specific birth wish to which we wanted Ryan born by. The truth is it was crafted out of the spirit of what was right for our child given any circumstance that arose....what arose turned out to be nearly opposite our original wishes. But honestly, we trusted out instincts, our research, and God and really feel like though our original hopes could not be accommodated, we had the birth experience we were suppose to have. Thus our beautiful healthy son.

By 6am I was in horrible pain, laboring naturally, only at 3cm dilated and still only 70% effaced. What we did not know then was that Ryan was flipped wrong and I was having back labor...the most painful kind there is. I also started vomiting in a big way. They then informed us that we had at minimum 9 more hours to go...So not being on an IV for fluids but loosing most of what I had drank, unable to eat and exhausted, I knew we needed an epidural. In our minds, the risk of getting through all the labor and not being able to push, thus causing a need for a vacuum, forceps or a c-section far outweighed the hopes we had to not use pain drugs. Our doula, Julie, was super supportive of the decision and encouraged us to follow our instincts ... advice that was prophetic given what transpired in the next 12 hours.

Forgive us the times and details as time seemed to accelerate forward and then sometime stand still. The take away is that due to my water breaking, developed an infection, thus needing IV antibiotics and creating a very serious need to get Ryan out as quickly as possible. I believe we learned this at 10 am. Next came a huge dip in his heart tones, thus creating a need for an internal fetal monitor (up until then while laboring naturally I only had to be strapped in every hour for 20 minutes. Once I got the pain meds, I was on an external monitor permanently and could no longer move.) Then I was not progressing. By 10 am I was at 5cm maybe, so they started pitocin at noon since he had to come out...By 5:15 pm we had our team of nurses and an awesome Doc as our doc was unavailable. ( Ironically, our doc's son played piano at the cocktail hour at our wedding reception....only in Grand Rapids). And by 6:13 Ryan came into the world!

It was nothing short of surreal and miraculous to hold and see Ryan for the first time. (Emotions we would have had regardless of the lack of food and sleep!) Ryan latched on almost immediately and has already breast-fed 6 times. He is so cute. The pics below do not do him justice and we plan to take better ones tomorrow ad promise to post since we've got some anxious Grandparents, aunts and uncles waiting to see Ryan.

Max was the best coach ever. So on top of things, supportive and strong. Honestly, by 10 am, I just laid in the bed with my eyes closed (I had developed a horrible headache) and he ran the everything. I honestly don't know what I would do without him. He's currently getting some much deserved rest, as is Ryan. I think I am on a high as well as in some pain since I required some stitching afterward. We will be heading home Saturday late afternoon.

We want to thank everyone who loved on us in the last 2 days and our staff at Spectrum Butterworth hospital. The prayers, advice and support was unparallel and kept us strong. Love to you all.

Mom & Dad Kerry, Cali and Ryan too

Our new family just minutes after birth.

Max's first time holding our Ryan Thomas Kerry. The name is a combo of all our families. Ryan is Max's mom's maiden name as well as his middle name. Thomas is my dad's name. And Kerry is of course Max's dad's family name.

Aunt Kirstyn and a better view of Ryan.

Ryan getting foot printed.

Surprise!

Hey all,

My water just broke at work! We're headed to the hospital. Very excited.....

Love Court, Max & Baby K

Change in status

Hey all,
We wanted to keep everyone up to date on our situation as it seems to keep shifting...and honestly, we've lost track of who knows what. We're back to watching me closely for preeclampsia. It turns out that though my test results were conclusively negative for preeclampsia on Friday, what the triage nurse did not tell me was that my body is headed in that direction.

Yesterday I met with my doc who let me know that the full results of a 24-hour urine collection that is tested for the amount, if any, of protein it contains. (Sorry for the details, but some of you medical types want all the info). Anyhow, a normal sample would show no protein. A preeclampsic sample would be 300 or higher and an eclampsic sample would be at 500. My reading was 220. My liver and kidney functions are good and I have no infections, so really, preeclampsia is the only cause. I am pretty swollen (another sign) and have had higher than normal (for me) blood pressure at my last visit. Really, high blood pressure over 140/90 is the bottom of the dangerous range and I have only hit that once...However, the doc said basically my body wants to head in the direction of preeclampsia.

Friday I have a non-stress test that uses a fetal monitor to make sure the baby is doing well, thus not being effected by this situation. If all goes well, we just wait and see. I'll continue to see the doctor multiple times a week, have labs, etc. Even if things stay like this, she will still induce at 39 weeks since at that point, the risks of staying pregnant outweigh the benefits to the baby. If my labs change or the baby shows sign of distress, there's a possibility of immediate induction since the condition can worsen really fast.

As you can imagine, we're worried, but trying to stay positive that this just means we get to meet Baby K sooner rather than later. Max's mom will also be joining us for Christmas on the 23rd and I have been so worried about me going over due and her missing meeting the baby while she's here...so once again...another thing to be positive about. We'd appreciate your prayers and support and promise to keep you all up to date. Assume that no news is good news and we'll post again Friday once we have the results of the non-stress test.

Love to you all,
Court, Max & Baby K

Great News!

Just wanted to pop in and thank everyone for the love, support and prayers over the past few prayers. (So many so that we could not even respond to you all!)

Our test results came back negative for preeclampsia! I have a doctor's appointment Monday to discuss what could be making my protein come back positive (small potatoes and not a risk to the baby), but they are definitely not inducing next week and are positve me and the baby are safe.

Thanks again all. Chalk this up to the first one of the hundred's of surprises we'll get to have as parents.

Court, Max and Baby K

36.5 Weeks & We're Ready!

Clearly we're ready since we're counting down half weeks! We'll let the pictures do the talking this week since they illustrate exactly how we spent our Thanksgiving break.

I have had two check ups since last we wrote. There's a bit of a concern that I may be going into preeclampsia. I have some tests tomorrow to hopefully rule out that issue. However, the exciting part of that news is that if it turns out positive, we'll have our baby NEXT WEEK! We're trying to wrap our head around it all, but we feel ready and confident that when the times right, we'll know. The baby is considered fully developed as of this weekend ("normal" gestation is anywhere from 37-42 weeks). And the baby's vitals signs are all good (140 was the heart rate again!) Though the condition is scary if left untreated, our docs and birthing team are totally on it. However, we're happy to accept any prayers on our behalf since ideally we do not want to have to induce early. And to all our close friends and family, we're sorry to update you on this development online. But to be honest, it's been hard to stay on top of our emotions and try to field calls to and from everyone.

So check out the pics below and stay glued to our website for updates. We'll be sure to update with pics if the baby comes sooner rather than later. Love to you all.

Court, Max, Baby K & Cali


Friday was Allison's 4th b-day party (daughter of my bf & college roommate Staci) and Max got some practice daddy time with her new little brother Conner (8 mos old).

Sunday we made our annual trek to Hart tree farm to cut down out Christmas tree. We got a perfect Douglas fur (Max is the expert having served his time working a tree farm as a teen). Max kept laughing that he looked like the worst husband making me hike through the snowy hills for the tree, though it was me that wanted to do this. I just reminded him we'd never see any of these people again...and then my coworker and her entire family appeared from behind the trees we were scouting! Too funny. We made it home right before a big snow storm hit. Que next picture....

Max outside of our house and ready for Christmas....in California....Sorry moms, normally he wears a jacket, but you know his thermostat!
Max has been diligently finishing these beautiful handrails and got them installed the day before Thanksgiving. They are perfect. He did such a great job and now there are no excuses if I fall!

The nursery is finished! The white tree is actually a removable vinyl decal. For the art, we framed Wee Gallery flash cards of different animals on colored card stock. And the changing table is ready for it's first diaper change!
The books are ready to be read and the pony is prepared to be ridden. We left up a painting that I did of Carlsbad, CA in the nursery since it's where our story began.

The finishing touch was Max hanging the mobile. You can't see the bedding well in the picture, but it's chenille, paisley and stripes.

We'll definitely be spending HOURS in this glider! We can't wait.

35.5 Weeks

Hi all,
The countdown is on! It seems like back in April, the holidays and due date were ages away...and now things are just weeks away. As scary as it is in one context, Max and I feel really ready. It was a very busy week and we are trying to start slowing down this last month so that we are rested for labor and delivery.

Last week was full. Besides Yoga and massage, Max had his football awards night where they celebrated their 3 wins and honored the kids. It was a nice evening at the high school. Below is a picture of Max speaking about his defensive line. It's great to be able to meet his kids and see Max interact with them, especially the ones I hear so much about. I got to meet one of Max's students that is insisting we name the baby after him if it's a boy. Don't you agree, Levon Deshon Kerry has a nice ring to it?

Then last Wednesday our nursery furniture came, so much of the weekend was spent putting the final touches on things. I know we promised photos this week, but we are waiting on a decal for the wall. Once that's in place this weekend, we'll upload the shots.

This weekend we celebrated my mom's birthday at a gathering at Kirstyn's boyfriends home. It was fun to get together, enjoy Kirstyn's cooking and watch Eric's favorite team loose (U of M). Of course, our favorite team (MSU) lost as well, so it was not a perfect evening!

That's it for now. Hope each of you are well and able to count your blessings this Thursday with family and/or friends. Max and I certainly will be.

Love to you all,
Courtney, Max and Baby K

34 Weeks

Hey Team Baby K,
You're now all officially part of our team since we've realized over the past 34 weeks how much we have relied on each of you in a different way. From advice to feathering our nest, you all have come through in big ways for us and we are so appreciative.

It really hit us this past weekend. I had a second baby shower thrown by Charity and Mindy. It was an intimate gathering of some neighbors and friends that turned into an all afternoon hang out session. When we got home and unpacked all the gifts, both Max and I were just floored by everyone's generosity...and not just in the material provisions...the shower was structured so that each girl could share with the group. Each were even given a bracelet to wear in the weeks leading up to Baby K's appearance so they could send us positive wishes and prayers when they wore it. We are so blessed! Thank you to Charity and Mindy...my comment to Max about the shower was that it's such an amazing feeling to have people plan an event that is 110% reflective of who you are trying to be. We are so lucky to have people in our lives that "get us."

The week has been busy and continues to be. Last Thursday a fundraiser I have been working on for 7 months was held for CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates.) If you'd like to learn more about the non-profit or see a website I've designed (since many of you wonder what the heck I do for a living) visit www.CASAKentCo.org. It was a HUGE success and we raised as estimated $40k at the house party that was held at Grand Rapids newest Condos, Riverhouse (also now our tallest building in GR!) It was a great evening and many family friends as well as my parents took part in the festivities to help support kids stuck in the family court system due to abuse and/or neglect.

Also last week was our last Birthing Class (thank goodness....so BAD) and yoga, as well as fall clean up for poor Max...while it was snowing... Also had a regular check up with our OB, Dr. Robin Hubbard. Baby's doing great. Head is down. Heart-rate was 150 (while it was not moving for all you taking a guess at the sex). I am feeling pretty good in general. I am doing lots of stretching, yoga, and hip openers (like watching TV while sitting on an exercise ball) to prepare for delivery. I have started experiencing swelling that is normal, although I feel like I have arthritis in my hands and feet every morning. I also don't feel very hungry at all. Other than that, just trying to keep up on rest and get things ready at home. The baby is an estimated 4 and 3/4 pounds....close to Max's size when he was born!

Next post we'll share pictures of the nursery. The crib and dresser arrived today, though my mom had to meet the delivery since I had a presentation....We've yet to see it but are SUPER excited. Also, tonight is Max's football awards celebration. It's always nice for me to finally see what each kid actually looks like since they don't wear helmets at the presentation....if only they could pin their numbers to their backs...

By the way, Happy Birthday Mom!

All our best,
Courtney, Max & Baby K

Sorry if anyone's offended by the bare belly, but we've hit the point that I feel like I look skinnier if you cans see some skin....and right now, it' all about me trying to NOT feel like a whale, so you're stuck with the bare belly. And yes, I was wearing PJ pants and Max's shirt to Yoga class. It's a new low.

Go check out the site!

Sorry guys, I hit send before the text came through, so you got out of context pics of my stomach and a pumpkin (good juxtaposition though, right?) Go to the site to see the real deal.

maxandcourt.blogspot.com

33 Weeks

Hey all,
Winter has come to West Michigan in a big way. We went from 70 degree days mid week to snow last night, as evident by our pumpkin below! We interviewed a Doula (birth coach) last night whom we love and hope to move forward with. She's a member of our church and super qualified. Both Max and I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off our shoulders.

Other than that, we spent the weekend prepping for Baby K....washing the clothes, staining the new handrails that will ensure I don't fall down the steps! Tonight it prenatal yoga and a visit to the chiro. All in all, things are going well.

Hope you're each having a great week.

PS. According to the chart, the baby is 4 pounds and 17 inches long and is currently perched in my rib cage.

We thought you may be bored seeing my face, so here is my huge stomach instead. I still have a belly button, as most of my birthing class comrades do not....And I have a tiny mole inside the belly button. It's like a tiny volcano when I laugh.

Poor Jack-o-lantern!