Mister Bliss

Written by Shannon Leigh

"You know, your blog still thinks you are 39 weeks pregnant."
Yes, I realize I am about 6 weeks behind in posting about our darling boy as I was kindly reminded by my dear friend Betsy a few days ago.

My sweet little mister has arrived and boy have we been happy and busy.

As I write, Mister is taking his morning nap swaddled in his woombie and Ruby is happily watching (and dancing to) a Charlie Brown Christmas in her purple sparkly dress.
We have settled into a nice little routine around here despite the absolute craziness going on around us.

We are moving into the new house at the end of the week.  We are living out of one kitchen cabinet with food and essentials and every spare minute has been spent packing and NOT napping like I would like.
We have a tiny little Christmas tree tucked into the corner of the kitchen perched on top of Ruby's table.  With all of our Christmas decor packed away we bought purple lights and some cheap colorful ornaments to Ruby's delight.  I was nervous that Ruby would somehow be disappointed with the lack of decor but she thinks it's awesome!  I'm not sure what I was worried about.

Although things are crazy, life is good.  Max in wonderful and Ruby is a rockstar.

After meeting our little man in the hospital we decided to name him

Maxwell Wade Anderson

It was a tough decision but he came back from his first bath with a mohawk and we just knew he was a Max.

I was a bit nervous about having a baby boy after having a girl first but let me tell you- I'd have 12 more boys if the Lord allowed (okay, maybe not 12).

They are just as precious and there is something really special between a mommy and her little boy.
Everyone told me it would be an instant and different kind of love but I was skeptical.
And boy does it happen, and it happens IMMEDIATELY- the second they laid his chubby body on my chest.


All the fussiness of girls (the bows, the shoes, the clothes, the accessories) is stripped away with boys and I just get to love on a precious little bundle without all the stuff.
It's kind of nice.
Don't get me wrong, there is nothing more precious than a pair of pint sized ballet flats and a giant bow but I am loving the simple striped sleepers and fuzzy, non-accessorized head.

Thankfully my recovery was laughably easy this time.  I didn't have any stitches and let me tell you it's a completely different experience as far as recovery goes.  Nursing has been pretty simple too, aside from some major overproduction in the beginning.  The Lord was kind to me and thankfully within 48 hours I was making decisions out at the house and meeting with our contractor.  Plus Max slept for the first 3 weeks of his life.  It was quite the blessing.

Max is a big boy with a smaller than average head.  We have already put away his newborn clothes, which about killed me.  He likes to be swaddled and loves tummy time.  He is super smiley and loves it when we talk to him.  He is like clockwork when it comes to eating and sleeping.  He generally gives us one 5 hour stretch + another 3 hours at night.  He isn't as great of a sleeper as Ruby was (yet) but we really can't complain and we are hopeful that the 8 hour stretch is just around the holiday corner.

Although our days are crazy, they are wonderful and I am soaking up my baby boy and my precious 2 year old as much as I can.
I'll be back to post his birth story and the meaning behind his name soon!  Stay tuned (I hope it won't be another 6 weeks before I post again but I'm not making any promises).

-Shan