10 things Right Now

It's been awhile since I did one of these updates...but I'm desperately trying to hold onto all of my memories of Max (thus the scrapbook, calendar, blog, and Instagram overload!). Here's ten things that are going on right now with Maxwell James.

 

1.) We've talked about starting to brush Max's teeth for months now...but never really got around to it...now that he has six teeth (4 on top, 2 on the bottom) - I decided to order some baby recommended toothbrushes from Amazon, as well as toothpaste without fluoride. We gave him the toothbrush last night and it seemed to go over well.  He stuck it in his mouth...so I'm considering that a success.  He can't have that much plaque, right? It's so weird to see our toothbruhes and then his little baby one (not to mention it looks like a banana).

 

(one teeny tiny toothbrush)

 

2.)  Rob installed a swing in our front yard tree over the weekend (part of previously mentioned honey-do list).  We actually got to try it out tonight and Max LOVED it!  He was adorable...kicking his little feet and gripping the rope on the side...all the while making an extended happy shouting sound.

 

(just swinging in the sweet spring weather we've been getting)

 

3.)  After the swing ride, I took Max on a tour of the yard (which is quickly becoming a nightly ritual).  Together we assess what's happening in all my flowerbeds. He seemed pretty impressed with all the perennials that are coming back.  (Sidenote:  Grandmim states that I'm the most impatient gardener she knows and it's kind of true). His favorite remains the white flowering tree that belongs to the people behind us.  It grows over the fence and every time we are out there he points to it. 

 

4.)  He is getting better at stacking the blocks and throwing/passing the ball back and forth. He is also using his walker a lot more these days!  Maybe that means walking is not too far off? 

 

(getting good at the walker)

 

5.)  I'm trying to teach him to blow a kiss...sometimes he does it, sometimes he won't. However, he always wants to "cheers" his sippy cup...another thing I taught him!

 

6.)  Tonight we had chicken with broccoli cheddar rice.  Max gobbled it up and then continued to eat loads and loads of steamed broccoli.  He surprises me with the things he will eat - ranging from Skyline...to cheeseburgers...sweet potatoes...and even tortellini! 

 

7.)  Speaking of eating - he loves using a spoon.  In fact, this morning he refused to eat the mandarin oranges I put on his tray...until I loaded them individually on his spoon.  Then, he ate the whole container! (I have no idea where he gets this stubborn streak from). And....Grandmim discovered he likes cinnamon toast, so we grabbed some at the grocery.  He ate a whole piece this morning (along with the oranges).

 

8.)  We are on day ten of his antibiotic - the last day.  Thank goodness!  It has given him a terrible diaper rash (just like last time).  He poops about five times a day and his little bum is just raw.  We are coating it in Lotramin and Desitin...it seems to help.  But, everytime we set him down for a diaper change, he cries.  Sad Max, sad mama.

 

9.)  He spent his second night away from us on Monday.  I drove home from Dayton when he went down for his second nap.  I was worried he might be sad when he woke up and I wasn't there. I shouldn't have worried. He had a blast...loves to crawl in Grandmim's laundry room and explore the contents of the dryer.  She also lets him add the dryer balls (things that make your laundry nice and fluffy). 

 

(now let me just get started sorting this laundry..)

 

10.)  Be warned - if you have glasses, Max is going to try and pull them off.  He has recently gotten interested in glasses again....I think because I let him play with my sunglasses and so did Rob.  Now he likes to practice his future rock star style by taking them on and off. 

 

 (rockstar coming through...)

 

Since you hung in for so long....bonus picture of Max on the swing!

 

xoxo

Max and Mama Weekend

full disclaimer:  This post will be very picture heavy! but, as most of my readers are family...I'm pretty sure they will be more than alright with that. 

 

Ok, I'm about to let you all in on a secret.  I'm 32 years old, married, and a mother (you're likely saying, duh Carrie).  And, I still love, love, LOVE going home to my parents house. It feels so weird to say that.  I have lots of friends that might see their parents every couple weeks (or months), and some that because of geography see them even less than that - but I really love being home.  It's so nice to have extra hands around (i.e. my mom/dad gets up with Max and let us sleep a couple extra hours), my mom always caters to my to-do list (and they are comprehensive to say the least), and there is just something about being with my parents that makes me feel safe.

 

So, this weekend Max and Mama got on the road to Dayton.  Papa Rob was at home with his on "honey-do" list and while he missed us....I know he also enjoyed a nice break.  We left Saturday morning around Max's first nap time (and Max was still rocking the jammies) and pulled into Casa de Cloud around 11:00.  We did not waste any time attacking the to-do list -- first up - a visit to the local Metro Park, Cox Arboretum.  The Arboretum did not disappoint!  We were treated to lots of spring blooms...daffodils, tulips, hyacinths, and bleeding hearts (a weird name - but pretty plant).  Max was in sensory overload. He was pointing to EVERYTHING!  He could not get enough of the trees and flowers...even ten turtles resting on a log! 

 

 

The Arboretum even had a super cool tree house/tower that you could climb!  Once at the top were treated to great views of the park. Though, it did make me a little weak in the knees because the tree house "sways" a bit at the top.

(Rob said he would get to work building an identical one for Max :)

 

(We made it to the top!)

 

Next up - lunch at DiBella's subs!  I have been begging them to go back to the this place since the first time we visited (I think around my birthday?).  It was so delicious. And then I found out they had not one, but two locations in Columbus. I had the cowboy sub with chicken, bbq sauce, cheddar cheese, and bacon.  The best part?  The "everything" style bread it was served on. Max enjoyed bits of my chicken and bits of the lunchmeat from his grandparents sub.  We finished things off in a real classy manner by changing a blow out diaper in the back of the car in their parking lot. (Just keepin it real here folks!)

 

 

We capped off the morning with a visit to the Boooooooth!  My parents have rented a booth space at a spot called Antiques Village.  They have filled with it with all their treasures from estate sales, garage sales and more - and they are doing quite well!  It's cute to see them so excited about something.  I think it fills my mom's creative side (arranging and re-arranging the merchandice nearly weekly) and my dad's love of finding deals on things like fishing accessories, oil cans etc.  I could not get over how awesome their booth looked!  I even wanted them to sell me a display piece from it.  Even with my best haggling and the cutest sidekick (Max) - they would not deal! Turns out they need it to display other things. 

 

(sidenote - this is not my parents booth!  Just a crazy booth

filled with kimonos and random shirts from Hawaii)

 

Max went down for his afternoon nap - mom and I killed some time at Target and we were off to church.  I was a little nervous because it's only the third time Max has been to mass.  But, he managed to charm all the senior citizens, not make a peep, and entertained himself with the church hymnals. It was almost as if he could sense that we were supposed to be quiet. 

 

Our final stop for the day (I'm worn out just reading this) was to visit my grandparents, Mamaw and Papaw.  Max was crawling everywhere, pulling up on all their furniture, and pooping his pants (poor guy - the new antibiotic is making him go...all the time).  He's hard to pin down for a diaper change these days...so I let him go pants less for awhile! 

 

 

 

When he went to sleep for the evening- I cracked the whip on Grandmim! haha!  She actually used her cricut cutting tool (for scrapbooking) to make lots of the musical decorations for Max's party.

 

(special party preview of the decorations!)

 

Sunday morning, Grandmim let me sleep till the glorious hour of 10:30 and I nearly didn't know

what to do with myself...except refer to the list and head on over to the plant nursery called Grandm's Gardens.  Here again - Max was reaching out to touch all of the plants and tree leaves.  He even got to meet some cute little goats.  The verdict is still out on whether he liked them or not.  I did end up buying him his own little "Irish Moss" plant because he seemed to like the texture.  It's a ground cover...so I'm hoping it spreads a bit in our flowerbeds this summer.

 

(Ready to buy some plants!)

 

(Loving the coral bells...lucky for him we already have these!)

 

(Future gardner?  I hope so!)

 

We had quick lunch at Wendy's and then were off to the park!

We went to Activity Center Park by my parents house and I was pleasantly surprised

at how much it had changed since I worked there (in college). They added a whole new

jungle gym with slides galore, swings, and other manipulatives.  And they have these super cool adult swings which you can hold your child on your lap and swing with. I'm planning on heading back in the summer too because they even built a toddler friendly splash pad!

 

 

(pure joy!)

 

This rest of Saturdy was filled with a trip to the Carter's store, a walk through Old Navy, and a cookout with my Poppy (Max's other great grandpa). Max chowed on some sausage from the grill, asparagus, and applesauce. We treated him to a little "taste" of raspberry sorbet from Graeters ice cream later.  At first, he was not too sure of the cold...but when given the chance to use his own spoon to dig it out...he got right on board with it.  Then, he couldn't get enough and was trying to eat my coconut chip!  Too Funny!

 

Mama actually took the day off work on Monday...so Mim and I finished up a few things...namely working in Max's scrapbook and first year calendar.  So much to get ready in such a short amount of time for the party!!  We capped off the weekend with a trip to Skyline (have to get in all my favorite foods) and then Mama headed home.  Max stayed one more night with his grandparents and did awesome things like sort laundry, rearrange their furniture, and demand to be picked up by Grandpa Tim!  They enjoyed it, Max had fun, and Mama and Papa got some much needed adult time.  ha!

 

I'm so glad I still get to have weekends like this and until they move here (ha! ha!) I look forward to many more!

xoxo

Our Easter

How was your Easter?

Judging by my Facebook and Instagram feeds, it looks like everyone enjoyed a nice day in the weather department, a springy floral day in the dress department, and a sugary day in the food department.  All good by me. :)  You didn't think I'd let you get by without a blow by blow of the Hauck family Easter, did you?  Nope. Not even close. 

(Easter bunny butt!  Will I ever tire of animal faces on pants?  Likely not)

 

As anyone who has come within talking distance of me knows (because I didn't hesitatnt to complain), we had another crazy week in all things health related. Max went back to the doctor and got put on a baby inhaler (called a nebulizer).  We gave breathing treatments round the clock. And by the end of the week, we decided to delay our arrival to Dayton until Saturday morning.  Don't worry though - we didn't miss any of the fun! 

(Bring on the eggs!)

 

When we rolled into Dayton, we didn't waste much time before commencing the egg dying.  We stuck to the old reliable vinegar, water, dye pellet solution and had lots of lovely colors to choose from in no time.  Trying to take part in the festivities proved to be a little more difficult with a wiggly baby :) We pretty much passed him around and around, all the while popping the eggs into the various colors.  We discovered the white crayon for writing only sometimes works...the stickers sort of worked...and Papa Rob's two tone egg definitely worked. Who knew his real talent was for egg dying?  Max pretty much just pointed to all the cups and eggs while uttering some baby jabber...and soon enough it was time for his afternoon nap!

 

 

 

(Wrangling this crazy man is becoming a full time job!)

 

(The practically professionally dyed eggs)

 

We actually had our traditional "Easter" dinner on Saturday night to prevent overscheduling our Sunday.  Everyone made a contribution to dinner (ours was clearly Max) - and we all stuffed our faces with ham, asparagus, cheesy potatoes, salad, and rolls.  All topped off with our new favorite, Chocolate Silk Pie. Yum! 

 

(We squeezed a little walk around the neighborhood in too!)

 

Lo and behold the Easter Bunny hopped by early - with not one, but two baskets for Max! That smart little rabbit must have known he was in need of new pajamas and a summer wardrobe :)  On top of all of the fashionable goodies he received...that bunny also managed to drag a pretend lawn mower by! Max loved pulling the "starter" and the gas plug.  It's still a bit too big for him to walk with...but it won't be long. It was adorable to see how enthralled with all the presents he was!

 

(Look dad - I totally got this lawn mowing thing...)

 

On Easter morning we did manage to make it to mass (cue the angel chorus) and Max dove into his final Easter basket...which contained a coloring book, sidewalk chalk shaped like carrots, sunglasses, a new outfit, socks, and books!  

 

 

Before heading home we decided to try out an "egg hung".  This egg hunt involved family members pointing to eggs...Max spying them, crawling over, and grabbing them.  We would then shove the basket a little bit closer and wait to see if he would drop them in.

 

Max caught on for the most part...so we decided why not take this party outside?  We plopped him down in the grass and he was all like "woah mom and dad, what is this pokey stuff?!" He wasn't quite sure what to make of all the greenery he was sitting in...not to mention the blinding sun. 

 

 

 

 

We called it quits pretty quick and had to get back on the road to Columbus. 

Once home we tried again with eggs (from the safety of the carpet)...and he seems to really like them! Sometimes he even puts them in the basket.  :) 

 

 

 

Our day ended with one tired bunny taking a stroll around the neighborhood. 

 

What a fun first Easter!

xoxo

Macho Max's Birthday Wish List

As we all know (because you can probably hear my boo hooing world wide) - my baby will be turning one very shortly.  The invitations have been sent out, the decor (sort of) planned, still deciding on food (most of it I hope to cater) ...but the thing most people have asked me about - "what does Max want for his birthday". Please know that we don't need anything.  Truly.  But, I know grandparents, aunties, god parents, and friends love to buy gifts...so without further ado - here are some things we think Max would enjoy! (These are all live links - I think - so you should just be able to click and it take you right to the source).

 

Plan Toy Punch and Drop

 

Laugh and Learn Piggy Bank

 

Little Tikes Shopping Cart (and some play food)

 

Mega Blocks

 

Zoo Cube

 

Cozy Coup

 

Melissa and Doug Stack and Sort Board

 

 

Rody - Ride on Toy

 

Personalized Name Puzzle

 

Again - please know that he does not need any of these toys.  We are so fortunate to be able to provide lots of toys and experiences for him (and ultimately, I'm finding the experiences to be super fun too).  It's our true desire to just have a party where we are surrounded by family and just a few close friends.  Max probably just desires to be cold/congestion free and chocolate pie. ha! Either way...we can't wait to celebrate our little man :)

Around Here

Max

• Poor guy has been fighting a cold for about three weeks.  We were afraid it wasn't getting any better plus then he started not sleeping. At all. Cue the craziest, sleep deprived, about to go over the edge Mama ever.  We took him to the doctor last Saturday and discovered he had an ear infection.  Hello amoxicillin! By Tuesday he still seemed miserable and congested.  Back to the doctor we go.  This time he was wheezing.  So, we brought home a lovely nebulizer (called Sami Seal) and now have to administer abuterol treatments every 4-6 hours.  It's not my favorite.  Or, Max's.
• You would never know he's had a cold.  Little man was loving the warm weather.  It brought a trip to the Zoo and to the Park.
• He is loving our neighborhood strolls!
• Is less and less interested in formula - but will always take water from the sippy cup.
• Can now suck the food out of the pouches pretty much on his own (when he's not squeezing it all over himself).
• Is such a busy body at restaurants - it's like his head is on a constant swivel....checking everyone out and giving out smiles!
• Max obviously wants Issue 6 (the Zoo's levy) to pass.  You should vote yes. 

Mama

• Found out she could operate on way less sleep than she thought.
• Is two days away from completing her Lenten promise (no Diet Coke). So much water was consumed over the last 38 days....
• Went out with her good friend Kellie from work and canvased 96 houses in support of the levy.  The good news - we were not abducted.  The bad news - not everyone loves the Zoo.  I'm going to chalk that up to just misunderstandings based on the information provided in the newspaper. How can you not support such an economic force in the Columbus area? For less than a cup of Starbucks a month?!
• Got suckered (along with Candice, Kat, and Kellie) into painting 1.2 million paper mache eggs for "Eggs, Paws, and Claws" and the enrichment committee at work.  At first, we were going to have the kids in our classes do it...turns out that takes a lot of fine motor skill that three and four year olds just don't have yet. 
• Wanders around in the backyard flowerbeds...looking for signs of life!  There are promising starts to the hostas, bee balm, daisies, coreopsis, and lilies so far...  can't wait to get my hands in the dirt!
• Just loving amazon.com - was able to get Max a couple tooth brushes (need to get better about brushing his little teeth!), some fluroide free toothpaste, a Mother's Day present, shampoo/conditioner, and a scrapbook album
• Doing lots of party planning for Max's first birthday....
• Sorting through so many bags of clothes...thanks to generouse friends passing on their hand me downs.  Love it!
• Was so excited to stuff a basket full of goodies for Max's first Easter!

Papa  

• Was a total rock star taking care of Max this week - even took Wednesday off work so we could be sure he wouldn't get any more germs at school. Did lots of rocking Max back to sleep...every time he tried to put him back in the crib (no matter how carefully) he would wake up!  He is the King of patience.  And.....now he's sick too.
• Stopped to pick up the best bubbles in town (according to parents in our music class) at Gymboree for Max's Easter Basket
• Was able to steal away with Mama for an anniversary dinner at Tucci's (in Old Dublin).  Had veal meatloaf and clam chowder.  Declared it very rich in flavor! Then we split "silk pie" for dessert. Delicious. 
• After dinner, drove me around town looking for the perfect Easter Eggs for Max's basket.  Turns out, they are not at Target - they are at Kroger market place.
• Is chomping at the bit to get our yard in shape for spring/summer
• Still loves reading current and old editions of "This Old House".  I find them on his night stand every morning
• Got himself a new i-phone cover (in wood grain)!  What a hipster!
• Faithfully wakes up with me (in the middle of the night) to give Max the abuterol treatments.

Hope everyone has a wonderful Easter weekend with family and friends!

Better As a Mom

(A tiny Max at about a week old..)

 

Motherhood has changed me and nearly every facet of my life.  Sure, I have a lot less free time, way less money, and significantly less hair (hello post birth hair loss).  I still like to gossip with friends and I'm not going to be winning any awards for my house keeping skills any time soon. But on the flip side...it has also shaped me into a better person than I ever was. Being a mom and all the responsibilities that come with it, has made me realize who I want to raise my son to be, and who I must be to do that. 

 

I used to watch a lot of TV...it's kind of embarrassing to admit how much.  If I stayed home sick from work, I’d watch TV nonstop for hours on end. On regular days, the first thing I’d do when I got home from work was turn on the TV. I have watched every season of the Gilmore Girls from start to finish more times than I can count. Since Max came along, I try to limit my TV.  I still have my regular shows (Parenthood, Mindy Project, and Scandal)...but I don't want Max to grow up watching it - so we stopped turning it on.  Overall he's never seen much of the TV (minus Dan Patrick when Grandpa Tim is around)...and that makes me happy. 

 

Since Max started eating more solid foods our grocery bill has gone up A LOT. And you know what - I'm totally okay with that.  I want him to love lots of different foods!  And I'm willing to try and learn how to cook them for him...in the last two months I have diced sweet potatoes, roasted a squash, bought loads of hummus, grilled asparaus, and recently purchased an acorn squash, zuchinni, and yellow squash. The old Carrie was stuck in a food rut.  New mom Carrie is not afraid to Pinterest loads of new recipes for her eager high chair audience.  It's the best feeling when I know he's eating healthy (even organic sometimes!) and that I cooked all of it!

 

I try not to be judgmental (emphasis on try). This one is tough because being a mother means making lots of decisions that greatly impact an innocent life. And sometimes we feel the need to judge others’ decisions as a way to defend our own, especially if people make different decisions than we do. But honestly, I know there is no perfect way to be "good" mom. We are all just doing our best.  Sometimes another mom's "best" looks different than my own (i.e. breastfeeding, homeschooling etc.) and that's okay.

 

I can actually make decisions. This might be shocking to some (read - Auntie Stacy) because honestly I used to waver on almost every decision.  Shopping with me was a nightmare.  I would say "no I don't need that" and then change my mind hours later or even weeks later and end up ordering it online. But, a lot of times, Max needs me to be on my toes and on top of my game. Therefore I try not to waffle to much.  Case in point - normally when I don't feel good, I take weeks to decide whether to go to the doctor.  When Max was still sick on Saturday, I called up the doctor and made an appointment. And again tonight, when I still felt like things weren't getting better.

 

I go easy on myself and my to do list.  When a very good friend came to visit me in the hospital, they reminded me that I needed to take care of myself first and then Max.  (And that it was okay to ask for help...but that's a whole other post). At first I didn't get - I mean Max was a newborn...I could let a few things go to take care of him, right? Well yes, but honestly, the better I take care of myself, the better off Max is. So - I go to bed early, schedule regular hair cuts, sometimes I don't put my laundry away for a whole week (what?!), and I don't beat myself up if every item on my to do list isn't crossed off. Everyone in my family is better off for this.

 

I leave work on time. I used to stick around to listen to all the gossip and catch up with everyone. But...now the precious hours between 5:30 and 7:30 are sacred.  There is no better feeling than rolling through the door to see my two handsome men waiting for me!  There is nothing so pressing at work that I would miss out on banging on drums with Max, watching him toss his sippy cup on the floor 1032 times, splash around in the bath, or being part of his bedtime routine.

 

Of course, I’m not perfect. There are still lots of things I need to work on, like making time for working out, avoiding fast food, taking better care of our home, etc. Still, I can feel that something inside me has shifted and I couldn’t be happier about it.

 

(Mama and Max at 10 month)

xoXO



11 months

 

and can you believe...he's now 11 months!!

 

 

the official stats are: (unfortunately we know this due to an unofficial doctor's office visit this morning where we were informed that in fact he does have an ear infection.  whomp whomp.)

 

Height:  30.5 inches

 

Weight:  25 pounds 4 ounces

 

Loving:  pear, bananas, his race car track, pacifiers, his curly hair, music class, coming to the Zoo, and giving hugs

 

Barely tolerating:  his sunglasses, sitting still in the bath, getting his diaper changed, drinking bottles, and his weekly photos

 

Developing

 

Max can crawl super fast - sit up very well - and pull up like a champ! 

We have started to see a bit of side stepping down the couch...but not much walking (unless you sit the walker right in front of him).  Also worth mentioning, he sometimes pulls himself up on things and then lets go.  So, essentially he stands on his own for like two seconds before plopping down. 

 

We are working on passing the ball (he would much rather kick it).  He likes to pull the toy phone off his music table and put it right to his ear.  It's pretty cute.  I imagine he sees us doing this so he has started copying it.  Mostly, he is just very busy - moving from toy to the next.  We had to keep him home for a couple days in the middle of the month and we ended up getting out a "race track" toy.  I'm amazed because it seems every day he learns a little more about how it works (what to push, what to pull, the buttons that make noise, how to put the car on the ramp etc.)  Another new favorite is the "Elephant Ball Drop"...he loves to sit in front of it, turn it on, and push the ball down the trunk (which is actually not where it goes).  He will pull all the books off the shelf but we can only get him to sit for a few minutes to listen...though he loves to turn the pages.  His favorites right now are the Eric Carle farm book, and Peter Rabbit pop up book. 

 

The thing that blows my mind though is that I'm pretty sure he understands a lot of what we are saying.  You can ask him "where's daddy?" and he usually looks right at Rob.  Same result when you ask him "where's the cat?" - looks or points right at Pecan Sandy.  And, sometimes you can ask him things like "bring me the ball" and HE DOES! 

 

He also loves putting toys inside other toys (i.e. putting the shapes from the shape sorter ball into the stacking cups) and pulling things out of boxes, bowls etc.  The nesting bowls in our kitchen are probably one of his favorite toys.  We are forever chasing him out of the bathroom and kitchen because he likes to open up the cabinets and take things out.  Believe it or not, we finally did some babyproofing too!  We have a gate at the top of our stairs, locks for the kitchen cabinet, and a "custom" gate for downstairs that actually contains him to just the family room. Whew!

 

This past month has also brought a lot of "jabbering"!  Most morning we hear him "talking" to himself in his crab (a lot of da da da da) - but we've also heard "ba ba, ma ma, and recently...a lot of no no no.  He's starting to combine consonant sounds and our babysitter said she thought him say "yellow" and "too".  My parents said it sounded like he said "hi" when he picked up the phone the other day too! I admit, I'm a little jealous that othersget to hear a lot of the first words and I unfortunately hear it second hand.  But the talking is exciting none the less! 

 

Eating

 

We are feeding three meals and two snacks most days now.  Breakfast is still at home with mama.  And he eats breakfast really well....toast, bagels, waffles, pancakes, fruit bars, banana bread and even DONUTS.  I try to usually serve a protein (most often scrambled eggs) and a side of fruit (banana). 

 

He gets a morning snack (if he's awake) at school.  And always lunch.  The lunch thing has actually been great because he gets to try a lot of new foods...pizza, tortellini, broccoli, fish sticks, chicken nuggets/strips, grahm crackers, melon, pears, yogurt etc.  The other day, we were told he ate more chicken than anyone else! Growing boy :)

 

We do dinner at home and have also tried lots of things...chicken, tuna, meatballs, ravioli, pizza, noodles, cottage cheese, cheese crumbles, avacado, black bean burgers, garden burgers, meatloaf, asparagus, sweet potatos, butternut squash, mashed potato, pears, kiwi, mango, and even papaya (which I accidentally bought thinking it was a mango). Basically we try to give him everything we are eating and if we feel he eats enough - we don't give any baby food.  Most nights he does great!  The challenge is going out to eat...turns out its not much fun with an 11 month old. He only tolerates the high chair for so long...and then eventually drops all the toys on the floor and sippy cup. 

 

As for bottles - we still try to give him four bottles...but it is a STRUGGLE.  He does not like to sit for very long.  Most times he drinks between four and five ounces except for his bedtime bottle which he reliably drinks all of.  Overall we aim for between 18 and 24 ounces a day.  I thought it would be hard to break him of the bottles...but I'm thinking it might not be too bad.  I also hope the transition to whole milk is easy (as it's looming in the very near future). 

 

Sleeping:

 

At the beginning of the month - it was going great.  Then he got a cold - which he has been fighting for almost three weeks.  Blah. It has wreaked our sleeping schedule (and his). He has gotten all too comfortable with us going in there any time he coughs or sniffles.  The past four days have been pretty terrible as the cough and runny nose have gotten worse.  I'm hoping the antibiotics dry everything up. He doesn't nap great at daycare. And, his morning nap is getting shorter and shorter (maybe he will be dropping it soon?)  If we are home (and he's not sick) - he naps for us.  Still takes a pacifier at nap and bedtime. 

 

Always Fun..

 

We have resumed music class...which Max still really likes!  And the warmer weather has brought some fun outings to the Zoo (thanks Grandmim and Grandpa Tim), walks around the neighborhood, and swings at the park.  Lots of art projects are coming home too...perhaps the most creative entitled "rainbow sky" made with fruit loops :)  We've had several overnights to Dayton...which have gone so much better thanks to the thicker pack and play mattress.  During those trips we managed to see the Easter Bunny - not once but twice!  We are still pro's at Facetiming (though Max very rarely sits for long)...and we are getting really good at high fives and dancing!  This child loves a good beat :)

 

Oh Max....the time is surely flying.  I can't even look at you without turning into a big, sappy mess of happiness :)  I also can't believe we are already planning the details of your first birthday!  You are a true blessing to us...and we can't believe how lucky we are to be your parents.

XOxo