Max and the prairie dogs.

We took a short trip up to the Living Desert State Park. Max was mostly unfazed by everything, but he loved the prairie dog display. He and his cousins, Bo and Sadie, loved it when they would stand up on their hind legs and "howl".

Birthday Pics 2

I will try to count this as Max's "real" birthday party. We waited until we got to NM to celebrate it with family. Max got lots more presents and his first birthday cake, which he wasn't too keen on. I'm not sure he liked having the icing all over his hands. He only had two tastes and that seemed to be enough. I bet next year will be another story!

"Happy Birthday to you...."

"Ewwww. You actually expect me to eat this?"

Uncle Dave was showing Max how he is supposed to eat the cake.

Max is a quick learner... cake goes in Uncle Dave's mouth!

He still managed to get some frosting in is ear!

Birthday Pics 1

Here are a few pics from THE DAY of his birthday. We didn't do too much on the day, and in fact we had a down right dismal day. Max has certainly become willful and he and I have had some rough spells. However, he enjoyed his presents and we had a second celebration which turned out MUCH happier.

Here comes the birthday boy!

Our good friends were wonderful to remember his birthday. Thanks for the book Fred and Nancy!
Grandma and Grandpa sent lots of fun balls to kick and roll!

And chew on?

Max and Dada are playing cars.

Finally, an update!

Hello everyone. I am going to try and bring you all up to speed on Max and his many accomplishments in the last few weeks. Of course, this is very appropriate since he turns ONE tomorrow. Yikes. It's hard to believe that this time last year I was in labor... fast forward one year and we are out to dinner trying to get him to eat anything, right across from the hospital.

So what is Max up to now. Well, I'm sure most of you saw the walking video. He has been taking two and three steps for a while now, but last Monday he just decided it was time to really give the walking business a try. At this time, crawling is sill preferred but daddy can usually convince him to walk. He still loves to grab his walker and cruise around the living room, mainly chasing cats to and fro. The cats are going to be mis-er-a-ble when Max really gets going.

The sleeping issue is going much better. It takes some effort to get him to sleep (rocking, singing, and back-rubbing) but once he is down he stays down all night (yay!). Napping is not as easy. I will rock and put him down in the crib, but he will only stay for 30-40 minutes and then wakes up grumpy. However if I hold him through the nap he will sleep for a couple of hours. so its a toss up in my mind. Have a very short amount of time to get stuff done or let him sleep so he has a better day.

Eating has gotten a little better, but things are going to get a little harder come Friday. We have a great routine where I get him up in the morning, then we grab a bottle and lay back in bed while he sucks it down. After that we visit, play and cuddle for a few precious minutes before getting up and facing the day with breakfast coming an hour or so later. I know that we will be taking him off of formula (and his morning bottle) in the next day or two and it makes me a little sad to lose our routine. We will also lose the bottle right before bed that helps Max to settle down for the night. Another routine that will have to change soon. However, Max seems to be eating solids a little better in the last couple of weeks. The trick is to keep him distracted and his little hands busy with something while we shovel the food in as quickly as we can. I hope this won't last forever... I'm sure when he is 15 he will eat dinner without the smoke and mirror routine. Haha. I am nervous about making sure he gets all the nutrition in food. I wasn't as worried about his eating habits (or lack of) knowing that the formula would provide necessary nutrients. Now it is all up to us. The one food he loves is noodles so that is what we will have tomorrow night for his birthday dinner.

A lot of people have asked us what we have planned for his birthday. Tomorrow not too much. This is a hard time of year to get folks to get together for his birthday. So we will celebrate with just the three of us tomorrow. We will have a bigger party when we get to NM for Christmas. That's where we will let him have his first cake and all the fun pictures that come from that. Be looking for those little gems later in the month.

All in all, Max is still a very sweet and very mild little boy. We are beginning to have some moments where he is willful and throws a tantrum, but this is all a normal part of his growing process. He especially hates being strapped down like in his car seat or high chair (another reason he may not like eating). He loves to spend time playing with his toys (the more simple, the better he likes them) and playing with Curtis and I. Books are read sometimes... but are mostly eaten or ripped up. He LOVES bath time. Very often the water will be totally drained out and he will still be playing with his toys in the tub.

The separation anxiety has subsided some over the last few weeks. He seems to enjoy spending time in the church nursery and at Parents-Day-Out. He also likes being with his "friends" and it is fun to see them interact with each other. I know that babies don't really play with one another, but I am always proud to see him interact with other kids his age. He and Jasmijn were very cute the other night and I wish I had a video camera. They were crawling around her nursery very quickly, then they would crawl to each other and lean their heads together. It was so very cute!

Ok, so I have rambled on about Max long enough for one night. Needless to say, I am smitten with this boy... we both are. This last year has been the most amazing year of our lives and I now realize that our family was not complete until Max joined us. Thanks to all of you for your support, advice and friendship during the first year of his life. Here's to many more!

Walking!

My big, little man is walking! Broke my heart and made it swell with pride all at the same time. Update is still coming!

BIRTHDAY COUNTDOWN: 3 Days!

New Video clips

I promise, promise, promise a large update is coming. I am finally done with school for the semester (woohoo) and will have a little more time on my hands... I think. Anyway, these clips are to remind us of how Max crawled. He never did the normal baby crawl, he did his own thing and it works wonderfully. However, his is starting to take steps now, so crawling will be a thing of the past soon. I also included a clip of Max and Alex (our parrot) doing a little inter-species communicating. I think they understand each other perfectly, as you will see. Enjoy and check back soon.

BIRTHDAY COUNTDOWN: 4 DAYS

New Pics!

Sorry it has been a while. My semester is coming to an end which means papers, projects and posters! In another week I will be free!! And the best news of all, I'm taking next semester off of school! Woohoo! I will be teaching (hopefully) but not having all the added pressure of juggling classes and taking care of Max. I hope it will be great, but not too great. I hope to get back to school in the summer.

Max and daddy at the Heritage Homestead farm.

Happy Birthday Nona! Can I have the cake?

One of his teachers at Parents-Day-Out knitted all the babies hats. I think he looks like Rocky's trainer, from the early movies.
Papa and Max at Heritage Farm. I love the outfit... sent by his Grandma and Grandpa.

Headed for the Baylor football game. We had a good time, too bad we lost!

Check out Max's New Tricks!

New Pics for Tuesday

Hi everyone. Here are a few new pics of our man. We have had a lot going on and hopefully I will get a chance to update soon.

Hope everyone had a Happy Halloween!
He now carries things in his mouth while crawling, such as dirty socks.
Nona and Papa with Max
Stephanie was in town for a quick visit.
Love my happy, giggly boy!

Proud of himself!

Hey everyone. I have a quick video for you and I will try to update the blog this weekend. Lots of things are going on, but that means less time to sit and write! In this video, Max has finally figured out the main idea of this toy. He always played with it, but today it just clicked!

For Nona

To help her feel better!

First Football Game

Hey dedicated readers.

We had a great day taking Max to his first Baylor football game. The only reason we able to pull this off is that we were invited to sit in Curt's practice bank's luxury box. It was amazing! Cool and shaded, free food, free drinks, free popcorn... I don't know how I will ever go back to our regular seats!

Anyway, here are some cute pictures from the day.

Watching the band in the pre-game show.

Max fits right in!

He wasn't too sure about meeting Bruiser.
Double trouble!

9 Month Wellness Check

Hi everyone. A quick update from yesterdays dr visit.

Max has grown (which is no surprise to anyone who has been carrying him around lately)! He is now 24.12 lbs and 29.5" in length. Although this is still on the larger size, he has dropped to being in between the 70th and 90th percentile instead of over the 90th percentile. He is still very proportional which is good!

Table food have been going better, He must be my son after all... he loves macaroni and cheese. But corn and carrots have also become a favorite and he has had a few bites of meat here and there.

A couple of quick pics then I am off to feed this growing boy!

"Check it out... 5 teeth!"

Out at the lake with our church. He seemed worried that his hat would blow away!

Happy Birthday Ashlyn!

Cute boy, cute mohawk!

"Ahhhhhhh... Sic 'em Bears!"

9 Month + 2 day update!

Hi everyone. Sorry I am two days past Max's 9 month mark in writing this. I had class on Thursday evening so it took priority, and yesterday I watched Max and a friend's baby for the morning. Busy, but great.

So, what is Max up to these days you ask? Well, what isn't he up to... literally. This kid is in full crawling (still on one foot and one knee, so cute) and pulls up on anything that will stand still although that doesn't prevent him from trying to pull up on things that won't stand still! He keeps Curtis and I on the move, as well as our three cats. They have learned quickly to get up and move when Max is coming at them, otherwise they get fur and tails (except Mackie) pulled. They are actually really good with him and he has not suffered a scratch yet! Our dog is another story. She has never been good with kids and that didn't change with Max. She stays locked up in the kitchen while we are searching for a new home. The problem is that she is pretty old and I'm not sure anyone will want her. Hopefully we can find some new arrangement soon that will be win-win for everyone.

We suffered a set back in the solid-eating progress with our stomach virus. Max refused to eat solids for a number of days and we weren't going to push him at the time. Now I realize that he should be eating table food and finger foods pretty regularly. We tried the other night and I fixed sweet potato and peas, two of Max's favorite foods (at least in puree form). We used a food grinder on the peas and mashed the potato really well, but he gagged quite a bit and didn't get too much down. I also bought some textured baby food from the store for nights I have class, and he doesn't seem real thrilled with that either. He had two or three tiny bites of turkey sausage this morning along with his cereal with no problems, so maybe it is just finding food that he likes. If you have suggestions, I would love to hear them.

Sleeping is less of a problem now, at least from Max's perspective! He sleeps in bed with us all night, every night. It really has become a minor issue for us, Curtis and I seem to get plenty of rest even with him in the bed. In fact, I tend to get more sleep now because I get in bed much earlier than before he slept all night in our bed. We do have our longer nights, especially now that the ragweed is in full bloom and Max seems to have inherited my allergy to it. A stuffy noses is not conducive to sleep for anyone, Max included. Other than that our arrangement is working for now. We might try to move him back into his crib at some point, but I don't see us trying that in the near future.

The parent's-day-out program on Tuesday and Thursday has been working out really well for us. I had my first two field trips at the wetlands this week and the proximity of the church and the timing is perfect for what I need. He has really settled in and had a great day Thursday. His "teacher" told me that he played happily all day and took a really good nap. PROGRESS! He still has problems at the church nursery both in the morning and on Sunday evening when we drop him off on out way to life group. I know part of the problem is that morning service is held during the time he usually takes his first nap of the day, and he is not going to sleep easily with so much commotion in the room. Also, the nursery is manned by a rotating group of volunteers so he never gets to know anyone who is caring for him. I think this can be a problem for any small child, not just Maxwell.

I am anxious to see how big Max has grown in the last three months. His appointment is Monday so I will let you know. I am now buying 18 month clothes for him! Many of his 12 month outfits are now too short for his long body. I just bought him some "new" things at the JBF consignment sale yesterday. Unfortunately most of the boys clothes were thick and fleecy, and I know Max will burn up even if it is freezing outside. I think he gets that from his daddy.

Well I need to go. We are headed out for Ashlyn King's first birthday party in a few minutes. Check back and I will post new stats after his check-up on Monday.

A day in the life...

Crawling... slowly.

So part of Max's recent fussiness may be due to the fact that he always wants to be where he is not currently at. Make sense? Didn't think so. Anyway, I shot this video of him crawling over to me after sitting across the room crying at me for 5 minutes or so.

Almost Crawling!

Hi all,

Sorry it has been a while since my last post but life is busy here in Texas. I will give you a quick run down of Max's new tricks.

Max has started his Parent's-Day-Out program on Tuesday and Thursday this last week. Tuesday was rough and they called me to pick him up a little early. He wouldn't nap and had cried a good portion of the day. He was just sobbing when I got there and he hugged me so tight that I almost cried too. I was worried that he wouldn't be able to stay with this program, and I need it in a couple of week when field trips start up at the wetlands. However, Thursday was better with some crying in the morning but his "teachers" said he was happy in the afternoon. This gives me hope that he will eventually accept this new arrangement and will be happy during the whole day.

Max is still not quite crawling, but he can get himself around a little. He likes to scooch towards the dog, cats, toys, etc. He has also pulled up a couple of times which was unexpected for us. He did it one time in his crib and the rail was only about halfway up his body. Yikes! Needless to say, we lowered the mattress to the bottom the next day. Not that it matters... he isn't sleeping in the crib anyway! He is going through a phase right now where he screams when we lay/put him down, and it's not just the crib! The floor, car seat, highchair, changing table what-have-you is cause for a melt down. I'm not sure if this is the separation anxiety most babies go through, but it is kinda miserable! At this point he won't sleep in his crib at all so Curtis and I have no time to ourselves in the evening. I hope this is just a phase!

Max has three new teeth coming in that I know of, possibly others. The top two incisors are FINALLY breaking through! They have been sitting under the gums for a couple of months and I thought they would come through way before now. No matter, they are coming in now, and I see another bottom tooth under the gums as well. Another reason for excessive fussiness? Possibly!

Max does continue to be the bright spot in our lives despite the crankiness! He is still overall a happy baby and we compliments on his calm demeanor all the time from friends and strangers. He laughs and smiles at all the perfect times and we realize that all the unhappiness is only temporary. He is still our sweet boy who loves to give big hugs and snuggle when he's sleepy. We are very blessed!!

More beach photos

Professional Beach Photos

I finally got the disk from my sis while I was home and will post more later. For some reason I can only post 5 pictures at a time. I guess it is the template I'm using because I have seen other people's blogs using blogspot and they are able to post as many as they want. Enjoy.

Siiiiiick!

We have all been sick! Most everyone probably knows this already, but I still want to record it for posterity. It was, after all, Max's first serious illness.

I started feeling achy and flu like last Tuesday evening right as we were getting into bed. I was worried about how I would feel the next morning and how I would be able to care for Max all day if I really was sick. I felt OK in the morning, but I was pretty tired all day. About 2:00 I laid down with Max, gave him a bottle and settled into nap after he fell asleep next to me. At about 2:30 he woke up vomiting all over me and proceeded to vomit about 12 more time throughout the afternoon and evening. We called our pediatricians office and they recommended trying to get some Pedialyte in him before bed. Well that all came right back up as well. He went to be with an empty tummy and woke up about 2:00 am hungry. Stupidly we gave him some formula (only 3 oz, but still...) and that all came back up shortly after it went down. After changing the sheet on our bed, again, we slept some more until about 7 am when we tried some more small spoonfuls of Pedialyte. It came right back up. At 8:00 we called the pediatrician again and took him in shortly after.

Max's dr checked his electrolyte levels and sent us home to wait for results and to try to get some fluids in him. I spoon fed Max watery apple juice throughout the day, and he was tolerating it well. The lab results showed mild dehydration, but we were warned that if he vomited any more that day then our dr would want to admit him to the hospital and run IV fluids. Thankfully that did not happen! I was not prepared to sit and watch my baby be stuck with needles and tube and not be able to hold and comfort him.

On Friday morning I was trying to get Max to take a bottle and he gagged and threw up again. So... off to the dr we went again. All of this occured while Curtis was in Temple (30 minutes away) getting the fuel pump replaced in our car. My friend Stephanie risked life and limb to come and take Max and I to the dr since I was still weak and achy. This time his labs were good and we were told to offer clear fluids, but not to force anything that day. He didn't take anything for the rest of the day and went to bed with an empty tummy, again! When he woke up in the night hungry we gave him gatorade and water and kept it down.

Saturday was sort of the worst day because that was when Curtis was hit with the bug too. He spent the day either in bed or in the bathroom and wasn't too helpful with Max. But Stephanie came to the rescue again and came over to help me out in the morning. Max and I had been getting along until about 7:30 pm when I was giving him a bottle and Curtis announced that he needed to go to the ER. Ack! I went to call my Mom and see if there was ANYTHING else we could try ti keep him from that course of action when Max threw up again... all over me again! Grrr... so off to the bathtub and another phone call to get our friend Wade to take Curtis to the dr. We found a clinic in Hewitt (the Scott and White next to La Fiesta, they were great!) that was open until 9:00 and they got Curtis fixed up while Stephanie and Ross came to help me with Max. Again, Max went to bed on an empty tummy.

Sunday was much, much better. Both Curtis and Max held down everything they ate, they just didn't want a lot of anything. Who can blame them?

Max still is not into solids, but I keep trying some yogurt to help his digestive system regulate a little. Curtis went to work today to catch up on some lab work, but is still fatigued easily. It will probably take a couple more days for all of us to get back to normal, but I think we are over the worst of it. Thanks to all for calling and praying for us. This was a very difficult time for me as new Mom facing Max's first illness while being sick myself. I often felt helpless and alone, but was not thanks to our great friends who were here and those who offered to help in other ways. Thank you all, it meant a lot to us!

Bye bye ECHOvirus. Hope we don't see you ever again, or at least for a very long time.

Max's Ancestral Grounds

We have had a wonderful, and relaxing, time at my home in Carlsbad. It has been great seeing family and friends... it has been too long. I hope that we will be back in Carlsbad for Christmas and making the rounds again. I will be posting some pictures of our trip over the next few days so please keep checking back. For now I have a video of Mr. Max playing chase (he loves it!) and coming VERY close to crawling. 'm glad he hasn't done it yet... I would hate for Curtis to miss out on this big event.

Home from Camp

Hi everyone,

So sorry this is a long time coming, but our lives have been very hectic the last few weeks. I am home from Camp Quality and had an awesome week, just hard to be away from Maxwell. The kids were great and it is always fun to see all of my fellow volunteers and friends, but I was only half there this year. Next year I will probably be so excited for a week away!

After getting home from camp we had a visit from Gwen, Todd and their three kids. They stayed with us for a couple of days and we toured the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and did a lot of swimming. It was a little stressful for me since Max is still not napping well. Their kids are older and busy and I am just not used to that much activity going on in my house. But we had fun and were sad to see them go. Hope to see them again soon.

Not too long after that, max and loaded up for a trip to New Mexico. I hadn't been home in a year and a half and was anxious to come home and show Max off to family and friends. We are having a big family get together on Saturday following Sadie's birthday party. Curtis hasn't been too lonely yet since he has been going out with friends the last couple of nights. He will miss us eventually!

"Thanks for taking great care of me while Mommy was away!"

Um, a Texas Ranger (dunno which one).

COUSINS! Ross, Stuart and Anika with Max.

Auntie Gwen and Uncle Todd

Max 3-6 Month Slideshow

Max's Slideshow from birth to 3 months

Not much to say... sorry.

Well, there is not much new going on here which is why I haven't updated the blog lately. I finished my class last Wednesday so I have been pretty consumed getting that finished up. Other than that, we have just been living day to day... nothing too remarkable.

Max's two bottom teeth have both erupted now and the top ones don't seem too far behind. We can see them under the gum line and he has been extra fussy, especially at night. Soooo, it has been a little rough, but we know this is temporary. He really likes to sit up all the time now and gets upset when he is on his back too long. He can't yet get from a laying position to a sitting position, but it will happen soon.

This month will be really busy for all of us between family visits and camp. We will have lots to update about and more pictures soon. As for now, enjoy these beauties!

Happy after his bath. Tried a mohawk tonight!

Love this shirt!

"Ready to go... who needs a car seat anyway?"

"Here are my teeth, aren't they great?"

Sitting up more and more every day.