A Perfect Day for Picking

Fall is by far my favorite season...so I have a list a mile long of special

things I would like to do with Max during this spectacular time of year!

This list may or may not be called "Fall Family Fun"..okay, okay..it is.

And when Grandmim was here this past week we decided to cross one item

off the list...and it was apple picking!  There is only one apple

orchard I know of in the greater Columbus Area and it's called "Lynd's Fruit Farm".

While it's kind of off the beaten path..it's totally worth it because once you

get there, it's miles and miles of apple orchards.  The particular weekend they were

picking "Jonagold" and "Golden Delicious".

We picked the perfect day for being in the orchards (read - they were practically empty)

and the apples were everywhere!  As we pulled into the orchard, the woman sent us off with our

"20 pound bag" and her parting words were "eat a lot of apples and stuff the bag full because

we don't weigh them"! Done and done. 

I did a quick taste test of the Jonagold - one bite in and I was not impressed.  So, I tossed it. 

Literally - I threw it on the ground (don't judge me - there were plenty like it). So, we

headed over to the rows of Golden Delicious.  Now, these were so tasty!  Grandmim and I

munched our way through the orchard - even Max wanted to help.

Cutest little apple picker I ever did see!  His little chubby hands were

so curious...pulling at the leaves from the Ergo.

Honestly, it didn't take long to fill up our bag.  And while doing so visions

of homemade applesauce for Max danced in my head!  (Sidenote: if anyone

has ever made homemade applesauce, I would love to hear about it...because

I have no idea what I'm doing).

Max and I made a pretty good team :)

 

After frolicking in the orchard and Grandmim shoving as many apples

in the bag as she could possibly carry (it's quite possible there were 40 pounds

worth of apples) - we made our way over to the farm market.

On top of apple orchards - Lynd's Fruit Farm has a giant pumpkin patch,

corn maze, pear picking, and a GIANT farm market full of produce, baked goods,

crafts, and any kind of fall pumpking/squash/gourd variety you can think of. But, even before we

made our way inside we took lots of fun fall pictures with Mr. Max.  He was happy

to oblige of course - and someone even said "Is he for sale?  You have him in the

pumpkin bin?!"  um no...crazy lady - he's all mine!!

(How tall this fall sign)

I tried to convince my mom that we should take a corn stalk home but she wasn't

so sure...space in the Vibe is limited.  Max told me he wouldn't mind sharing the

backseat with some corn though...

Max loved these hay bales...he's very into grabbing and touching EVERYTHING!

Nothing is safe from his little mitts - but it's a good sensory experience

so I'm okay with it :)

Giant chair - tiny baby. Love :)

 

We wrapped up our visit with purchasing gourds, mini pumpkins, 3 fall wreaths made of

Indian corn, and one apple cider slushy. It was a pretty great day and I didn't feel

one bit guilty about not being at work! ha! :)

Can't wait for more fall fun with Grandpa Jim this coming weekend! 

Pumpkin Patch here we come!!

xOxO

Auntie Stacy and Max

I knew when Max was born that our family would love him (i mean, duh) but it was hard

to picture how that would really all play out.  But, I think it's safe to say that we are

surrounded by family and friends, both near and far, that cannot get enough of him!  We feel so    lucky that people want daily pictures, email updates, blog updates, instagram pics, snaps, and even phone calls all the time about our little man.  It's not a bad problem to have really...because I'm pretty willing to tell anyone and everyone how amazing Max is alllllll day long. 

 

One such person who also cannot get enough of our little man is Auntie Stacy! 

Through a weird set of circumstances...she found herself babysitting him all day long

on Monday.  Now...this is kind of amazing, considering that all of high school and

much of college this girl told me she "didn't like kids from birth until about 16". (Hence

why she worked in the air conditioned office at the Park District...and I was camp counselor...or why I worked at a children's toy store and she worked in the Deli at our local grocery store...but I digress).  It's kind of crazy though because children LOVE her! My child included :) 

Stacy has a natural patience for them, can make them laugh, and gets right down on their level. 

 

Even before Max came along she was proudly stepping into her role as an Auntie ...I mean I'm pretty sure Max got more presents than I did last Christmas from her!  And, she threw an amazing baby shower for us...and now she even has a special chair for Max at her house, toys, swaddle blankets, and a bottle.  If you peeked in her fridge there might be some formula in there.  When she got here on Monday morning (bright and early at 7:30 with coffee for me!!!) - I wasn't even worried about Max because I knew she would be amazing!  She kept me entertained all day long with pictures and her commentary.  Let's take a look...

 

Here's the main man - just before Auntie's arrival - he can't wait to monkey around with her!

A parting shot of the goofballs on my way out the door

Just about an hour or so later - she got Max down for his first

nap of the day...and a swaddle too.  (Please note - we have only been swaddling

him the last couple days because of his cold - and he normally sleeps in his crib...

but being upright helps the congestion drain).

Play time ...and then shortly after she said "he had a rough time with

the bottle because he was trying to eat and poop at the same time!"

Maybe he's going to be a multi-tasker like his mama...

They made it through a BLOW OUT diaper...or "15 wiper" as Stacy

described it, by holding hands.  Such a gentleman!

More playing - Max has gotten really good at holding and grabbing

things...apprently he couldn't decide here...so he held both captain calamari

and the duck!

Stroller time! (He's got his skeptical look on because I made Stacy

take a thick blanket because the temperatures are dropping!)

Some more play time...this child loves to look at his own mug in the mirror!

Can't say that I blame him...he's one good looking baby :)

Hey...look..he's wearing a new outfit!  Stacy said she only glanced away for

a second and he was peeing all over himself!  I must say...he hasn't done that in

quite awhile -- but I think he was just giving her a run for the money.  Thankfully

Auntie Stacy picked out a cute outfit (one she bought I might add) and even

threw a load of dirty clothes in the washer for me.

They finished out the day with lots of play time -

and he even rolled over for her.  This is a trick he seems

to do when he thinks no one is watching...sneaky little thing!

All in all it was a busy day for both Max and Auntie...

so much so that he needed a little cat nap when Daddy got home

We can't thank Stacy enough - not just for loving on on Max and giving him the best care...but for taking care of us too!  She recently referred to herself as "the third wheel in our family" but to be honest - her presence is so welcomed all the time!  She gives us yummy left overs...buys us ice cream...doesn't freak out when we can't put her shelf up correctly the first time...and most importantly keeps it real.  Girl knows when to give us a good dose of perspective. 

We love you Auntie Stacy!

xOxO



Around Here

College Football://  Tis the season! Basically that means that Max

needs to rep for our favorite teams -- thus you will

see him most Saturdays in Scarlet and Grey or Gold and Green.

I'm quite certain that Max has no real opinion either way regarding the teams

he is supporting...but he looks pretty cute none the less.

Note to Grandpa Jim - his Buckeye gear far exceeds his Ducks gear....

maybe you can help us with that?  :)

Pumpkin Spice Lattes:// Oh man, I love the fall for so many reasons

(see pumpkins, gourds, candy corn, costumes etc.) but pumpkin

spice lattes are up there too.  Thank goodness there is always a Starbucks close by.

Tummy Time:// Max has never really been a fan.  He goes through phases

where he tolerates it and other days when he just wants to face plant into the carpet. 

He's getting to the point where the Boppy is pretty helpful.  Not only does it support

his upper body a bit...but it serves as a drool mat too! And drool he does...maybe he's

concentrating too hard?  Thinking about his next bottle?  Dreaming of his next date

with Brianna?  No matter...even with a little dribble he's still handsome.

Caught in Khaki:// oh yes we were!  It's Jack Hanna's 35th anniversary at the Zoo!

Zoo staff surprised him on Wednesday morning by all wearing these "custom" Jack Hanna shirts.  Everywhere you looked...it was a sea of khaki. We also took a Zoo wide staff picture.

Rob and I stood next to each other...awww!

Also - there were free Tim Horton's coffee and donuts...they really know the

way to our khaki lovin' hearts.

Gnome onesie:// not much to say about this other than Max makes gnomes look good!

This look://  brought to you by Nose Frida snot sucker.  This week Max

suddenly became congested, sniffly, and coughy (not even sure that's a word).  Either way,

he seemed pretty miserable.  Since he's not quite capable yet of blowing his own nose -

we bought this handy tool that literally I suck the snot out of his nose via a little tube.  One end

goes up to his nostril and the other end goes to my mouth. Don't

worry there is a filter between us...so I won't catch his germs...but this process

is not for the faint of heart.  Rob literally almost had to leave the room.  haha!

Four months into motherhood and I'm already not intimidated by a little boogies...bring it on!

Daycare:// The lady who watches Max sends us pictures and this one is pretty cute :) 

This is Max and his buddy Ronin just chillin in the grass on Friday.

Auntie Stacy:// or "Tee Tee" as we are now calling her.  This came about because

between now and 6 months, Max should start being able to start stringing consonant sounds

togther (i.e. ma-ma, da-da)..  Stacy might be hard for him to say for awhile...but

"tee-tee" should work just fine! Can't wait to start hearing that.  I swear I heard him make a "d" sound this weekend... maybe he's close? #geniusbaby

 

xOxO

4 Months

As Max's mom, I'm obvioulsy a bit biased towards him, so naturally I never tire of seeing his adorable mug...I'm hoping you share my problem :) Let's indulge in another monthly milestone update, shall we?

 

At our four month doctor visit this past Thursday, Mr. Macho Max was a total champ and it seems a growing boy...

 

Weight: 17 lbs 8 oz

 

Length: 27 inches

 

Fan of:  putting things in his mouth, drooling, short naps, Dave Matthews lullabies, and the song "Old Max Donald"

 

Known for: big smiles, giant appetite, short naps, ninja kicking legs, awesome fashion style

 

A few things about Max this month...

 

He is really trying to roll - if you put him on his side, he will roll to his belly pretty easily (once he figures out what to do with his arms).  However...he's not to sure how to get from belly to back. Because of all his movement, we decided to stop swaddling him at night for fear that he might roll over and not be able to help himself.  So, we transitioned him to "sleep bags" which are basically bags with arm holes. I will say that I don't think he sleeps as well in the bags v. the swaddle.  He was a great sleeper until about four days ago.  I think he spoiled us because now that we are back to three and four times a night waking up and needing the pacifier...it's pretty brutal.  (I just keep reminding myself...this too shall pass). And when he smiles at you with his whole body...it's pretty hard to stay grumpy.

 

We are big fans of the Baby Ergo!  Since he has more neck control and more weight...I'm more comfortable carrying him.  He also doesn't have to be in the baby taco newborn insert anymore which I think helps him stay cooler. He has strolled many a parks, grocery stores, Target, and neighborhoods in it...and seems to like it.

 

Daycare school is going well.  It never gets easier dropping him off...but I LOVE the lady we go to...so that helps.  She is awesome about sending pictures to us, plans for adventures for them, and keeps the number of kids low.  Also, its pretty adorable that Max has all these older (meaning 2 and 3 year old) buddies that are so excited to see him in the morning.  Precious I tell you.  They ask me, "Can Max come out of his seat?"  Makes me happy that they are happy to see him.

 

Max is a drooling machine. I thought it might be do to teething...but the pediatrician said she didn't feel any teeth buds.  So...it must just be the stage we're in now.  Thank goodness for cute bibs! But seriously, Rob and I are always like - "where's the burp cloth or bib?"

 

Feeding Max is still a breeze - loves his bottle and definitely recognizes it now.  He starts to fuss if he sees it and you don't give it to him right away (where did he get that impatience from?? :) He takes 6 ounces in his daytime bottles and 8 ounces before bedtime.  Our pediatrician also recommended moving up to the next nipple size (so the formula will come out faster) and man...we went from about 30 minutes of Max taking a bottle to 15 or even 10 if he's hungry (and he always is...)

 

I can tell he is learning new things everyday - exploring everything with his hands and even feet (the feet are non-stop).  He bats and grabs at things.  According to his great grandparents (on my side) he's the strongest baby they've ever seen. haha! He can hold a rattle and shake it.  He's interested in things for longer periods of time.  Loves books still and the child LOVES music.  If he is ever fussy - we just sing to him...Old Max Donald (do you like what I did there?)...Take me Out to the Ball Game...Flies in the Buttermilk, Wheels on the Bus, Bingo and "He's got the whole world in his hands" (or in Max's case - he's got his whole hand in his mouth). We also listen to his lullaby CD's in the car when driving later in the evening...they seem to calm him right down.  Rob also always has the Pandora app going with some sort of music. 

 

It's pretty safe to say we are obsessed with this child.  It's really quite astounding to see how much he changes week to week (or even day to day).  And it consistently surprises me that I can somehow love him more and more with each passing day. 

Making me Happy

So as I alluded to in my previous post - things around here have been busy! But, I wouldn't have it any other way.  It's a good kind of busy. The kind where I get home from work and immediately get down on the play mat with Max and before I know it, an hour has gone by and dinner isn't even on the table.  The kind where I have a million projects going on at once - scrapbooking, bow-tie making, baking, and organizing baby clothes (have I told you that Once Upon a Child is my crack --it's a problem).   And of course, the kind where I decide to interview for a new job...just to add to the chaos (more on that later if it pans out). Either way - I like to think about all of the things that are filling my heart with happiness right now...basically so I don't go crazy. 

 

1.) This guy (See above).  We went to a wedding together two weekends ago - and even though it poured...and I mean poured on us out in an open field with no cover...we had such a blast.  Really, what's not to love about weddings?  Dinner? yes. Drinks? yes. Dancing? yes. Dessert? yes.  And, of course hearing those wedding vows again and thinking about the power behind those words never hurts either. 

2.)  My other guy.  So much to say about this little dude..but I'll let you gaze at those chubby cheeks for awhile and then get back to me. It's college football season - so of course his Dad and I are going around and around about what team he (Max) should support every weekend.  Last weekend OSU played first, so he started out in Buckeye gear, but then Oregon played at 4:00 - so he ended the evening in Ducks gear.  This weekend they played about the same time - so since Mommy got up with Max...she dressed him.  Seems fair..no?

3. Trips to the Library.  I have zero time for reading...unless it's "What to expect the first year" and even then only at short intervals (otherwise known as when I'm in the bathroom).  But...reading to Max on the other hand - a definite priority.  We made our first trip the library last month.  We picked out lots of books.  I'll let you guess which one mommy picked out and which one daddy picked out.

4.  Flowers.  Oh my word...the zinnias that my mom and Rob planted as tiny seeds (from Buchart Gardens and our Canada trip last summer)...have really overtaken the side of the deck.  They planted them four days before Max was born and they haven't stopped growing.  The best part is they are really low maintenance.  Because let's be real - I can only take care of one living thing at a time and his name is Max. :)

5.  The Baby Ergo.  I was skeptical about the price and how much we would actually use it.  But, I LOVE IT!!!  Now that Max is bigger and has more neck control, we are all more comfortable using it. Max looks all around when he's in it. And, I love how close and snuggly he is :)

 6.  Work.  I'm back. The high was returning to all my favorite seasonal ladies.  The low was that it was only for three weeks.  They did such a great job while I was on maternity leave.  They are such amazing young women.  It's really my pleasure to work with them and I was sad to see them go (except Candice - lucky for us - she gets to say all year...yippee!) (and, Hi Candice! She loves the blog). 

7.  My new favorite picture.  

xOxO 



Happy Grandparents Day!

It's never my intention to stay away from the blog for so long...but alas, I realized it's been almost a month since I updated.  Raising a baby is so many things - exciting, challenging, joyous, tiring and on and on...so the blog took a bit of a back seat for awhile.  I'm the kind of person that goes full force on everything (case in point - bowties for Max - I saw a pinterest tutorial for a "no-sew" version and then suddenly decided we needed to go to Hobby Lobby - RIGHT NOW! and then, buy ten kinds of fabric for bow ties of all kinds...do I have the time for this? No...but when the creative urge hits - you gotta go with it)  All this to say - it's hard to just only do a little blogging.  I want to be able to blog every day...but since I'm still learning the art of time management with a baby - once a month may have to do for awhile!   

 (I mean please...could I get anything else done with those chubby cheeks demanding my attention?)

On to the big celebration this weekend - Grandparents Day!  Did I even know this holiday existed until a week ago?  Nope!  But, celebrate we will!  You know I like to do up every holiday.  Before Max arrived, I looked forward to all my parents and in-laws visits.  But now - I feel like I count the minutes between visits.  It's something about sharing your child with your parents that feels like magic!  Like getting an A on a paper you worked really hard on, but times 1000.  We are lucky enough to be blessed with not one or two...but THREE sets of grandparents!  Cue the spoiling...

(Mom: thanks for doing our laundry -insert sort of ashamed face here - bringing us dinner, and changing the steamiest of diapers)

(Dad: thanks for munching Max's cheeks, offering to babysit so mom and I can go to Hobby Lobby (see above bow tie addiction), and feeding him lots of bottles when I'm bleary eyed in the morning)

(Jim and Sugar: thanks for the weekly FaceTime chats, Oregon clothes and accessories, loving support and encouragement, and continuing to read this blog (even when I forget to update).

(Suzi and John:  thanks for keeping us stocked in onesies and diapers, always knowing just the right thing to say, forgoing finishing your own dinner to feed Max, and scooting us out the door for a date night --it was much needed and appreciated).

 

It's been so fun to see both Rob and my own parents excitement over Max (colored with maybe a little bit of jealousy...I mean...it's no longer just about loving on my mug anymore :) But honestly, all of them are such naturals at being grandparents.  Always willing to pitch in a hand, share an encouraging word via text and even Facetime, offer advice, change a dirty diaper, marvel at every coo from Max's mouth and of course make sure he's stocked with clothes and even diapers! 

 

The long term plan is obviously for us to convince everyone to move to Ohio and all of us live in a housing development together...but you know until that happens... 

 We will continue to read about our second favorite state (Oregon...duh) and enjoy these weekend visits to the max!

XoXo