A Million + 1 Thanks

Where do I even start?
This has by far been the hardest two weeks in my entire life and somehow I am still smiling between the tears. And ya know why? Because Kevin and I have the best family and friends in the entire world!

I've thought about how I would tell everyone thanks and what I would write on my "Thank You Blog" but each time I write something down it doesn't seem substantial enough. I honestly believe that I would not have made it this far without all of your support and prayers.

And you know one of the things I've learned from this time: There really are GOOD people in the world. People who give without getting and people who support and encourage even though they are struggling with their own issues.

I'm not sure I will ever find the exact words I want to say but just know that we appreciate everything you have done for us and all the love you have shown to us. We are better people because of you and we love you all very much. So to our families and to our friends, both the ones we already have and to those we have never met, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Kelci and Kevin

What Do Babies Wear to Heaven?

Our amazing little Maxton is already there I'm sure. So why then do I keep asking myself this same question. Somehow nothing seems right. I want him to be comfy and snuggly like he was when he slept with his Mommy and Daddy. But at the same time I want him to be dressed up because he looked so darn cute in his little suit. Hmm... and why is this the question that seems to keep popping into my head? Maybe it's because this question has logical answers where as all of the other questions have answers that are hard to wrap my mind around. I know the hard ones will never really be explained and I think I've come to terms with that. I'm going to be honest in saying that it's taken over a week to attain this mentality but I know I can't spend the rest of my life saying why and what if. So for tonight I'll stick with the easy one...snuggly or handsome...or maybe something in between? :)

Max Update: Can you believe our "avocado" will be 7 weeks old tomorrow?

Hey everyone! I'm very sorry that I haven't been blogging lately. For you see I have a very good reason...Mr. Maxton, the most handsome boy in the world, is super spoiled. I hold him 24/7, sleep with him, and rock him while he eats. Only the best for my little turtle. :) We go on walks, love taking baths, and comb what little hair he has at least 3 times a day. He seems to keep me on my toes at all times and I love it! What a good baby this lucky Momma has!

He is going to hate me for this later but I couldn't help it!

Momma's Mad Major Hunk!

Maxton's first drive-in movie. He shared a funnel cake and popcorn with his Daddy and Mommy!

Our sweet little sleeper...I wonder what he is dreaming about? :)

Unfortunately, I now have some free time on my hands. So I'm going to use this time to ask for your help.

Yesterday, our beautiful baby stopped breathing while at the sitter. He was lifeless when the EMTs arrived but they were able to resuscitate him. It is unknown at this time how long he was without oxygen (the best guess is about 20 minutes)or the cause. We are now at the hospital (surrounded by our amazing family and friends) playing the waiting game. There have been a few changes over the last 24 hours, some bad and others optimistic. Kevin and I know that Max is a fighter and will have a long road ahead of him but that God gave him back to us for a reason!
The doctor's and nurses here are fantastic and have been very open with us the whole time. Their suggestion is to prepare for the worst but hope for the best. We are taking that idea and re-arranging it to fit our situation. I will say that I have had my "downer" moments. The science behind it says that Baby Max should not be here right now but I happen to have a family friend named Brad that says science isn't everything! His story is what I am holding on to right now...God makes miracles happen!

So here is where we need your help...Prayers, Prayers, and more Prayers! We know that many of you have already spent the last 24 hours in constant prayer but the more people we can get on board the better. So tell your families, your friends, and your neighbors about our amazing little man and his condition. We truly believe that God will hear all of the prayers and help Mr. Maxton!

Love from us all,
Kelci, Kevin, and Maxton Foster

Blog started 3/31/11 1:30 pm I'm so excited...

...that I just can't hide it! I think Kevin is starting to get annoyed with all of my sporadic comments. But I can't help it! Every time I do something I think "I could be a Mommy next time I fold laundry" or "Next time I drive down this street I could have a Max in the backseat" I mean this is important stuff! :)

I didn't blog about this earlier because I didn't want to jinx myself but here is how the last week played out. As I posted in the last blog, Dr. K was out of town so I saw a different Dr. on Tuesday and was dilated to 3cm. Well Wednesday my husband went out of town for a little ski trip (to make matters worse he was with my Dad and little brother) so three of the most important men in my life were at least 8 hours away. Kevin missed our birthing class and was embarrassed to tell 5 other pregnant women he left me so close to my due date so he made me tell them he was on a one night business trip! Coward! :) My BFF Heather went with me instead. Mom came down on Thursday afternoon to stay with me. Thursday evening Ashley, Jennie, and Heather threw a shower for all of my Wichita friends! It was fantastic...ice cream bar, cup cakes, and great people! Thursday night as Mom and I were putting away the gifts I felt something a bit strange. I grabbed myself and made the "oh crap" face and the first thing Mom thought was that my water broke...could you imagine what an ordeal that would have been?!? Well it wasn't my water breaking but I did lose my mucous plug so neither of us slept very well that night. I just knew we would have to call the guys and make them come home. We went back to Hoisington for the weekend and I spent all Saturday with family and friends (ok really I think they just passed me around so that I was never by myself but that's ok with me). My mom also went out of town on Sat. so I had very specific orders to walk slowly and sit whenever possible! :) The guys came back Saturday night. Sunday afternoon was Neen's bridal shower and then we headed back to Wichita Sunday evening.

FYI: This blog was actually started on Thursday, March 31st over my lunch break from work. I was planning on completing the blog and posting week 38 Max pictures later that night but as you all know... Max was born that night!!! So here are the pictures from week 38.

To complete the post I have to add that I had another Dr.'s appointment on Tuesday the 29th. At that time Dr. K stripped my membranes and told me to cross my fingers that we would see each other again in a few days in the delivery room. Sure enough--he was right! I started having contractions around 11:30 Thursday night and tried to go back to bed. I couldn't take it anymore and woke Kevin up about 3:30 am. I also called the Dr.'s hotline and she told me that even though the contractions were about 3 min apart they might be Braxton Hicks and to take a Benadryl. Ha! They were real and around 4:00 am we headed to the hospital. I stayed there for an hour and didn't progress any so they were going to send me home but then Max's fetal tones weren't right so they ended up admitting me. Mom and Bryan showed up about 6:00 am and the games began! I'll post more later as my little munchkin is stirring.

Max Update: Week 37

We are already 1/2 way thru week 37...can you believe it? I feel like I still have so much to do. In fact, the sticky note attached to the bottome left corner of the computer labeled "Things to do in the next three weeks" reminds me that I have only crossed off 2 of the 6 "things" I want to get done before Max. And although I plan to continue working on that list my opinion about the arrival of Max has changed! Before I wanted everything to be structured and set up and ready...right on schedule. But now I say "Bring it on!" I'm ready to see my little guy/girl whether the house is dirty or not. :)
This may or may not have something to do with my increasingly huge feet! I swear they look like snossages. And I didn't know that when something swelled up that it hurt...I just thought it looked funny. Ha Boy was I wrong. :)
In all honesty I can't complain! I am nearing the end of this journey and I have been one lucky girl! I can handle 1 month of ugly feet in return for a beautiful Max!

Dr. Appointmet updates:
-Max's heart rate was 144 BPM.
-I was dilated to a 3 and was 70% effaced.
-I gained .6 lbs for a total gain so far of about 23 lbs.

Pictures for week 37:

Kevin said this one had the perfect angle...it shows just how big the Max bump is! :)

On another note my co-workers have started placing bets on Max's arrival. They have a sheet where for $1.00 you can guess the date, weight, and gender of Max! Then they are donating all of the money to our little baby! I work with some pretty darn awesome people! :)

Happy Wednesday Everyone!