A Dynamic Duo

Batman and Robin.  Tom and Jerry. Bert and Ernie.  Kermit and Piggy.

Enter Grandmim and Auntie Stacy.

This particular dynamic duo swooped in last Saturday night so

Papa Rob and Mama could attend a wedding (#bgsquared).

I'm never really worried leaving Max with these two because

I know they will dote on him, entertain him (or be entertained by him),

sneak him treats, and generally give to his every whim. 

This child already has them wrapped around his chubby little fingers.

 

They arrived about 3:30 (we had to be out the door at 4). 

I gave them some light instructions since they

had previously babysat only just a few Saturdays before

and we were on our way.

 

And then....I got some super fun pictures all night long!

So much so that Papa Rob got jealous and needed

in on all the fun too!

 

Here he is...practicing his "you will give me anything I want" face!

 

 

I mean obviously a selfie was in order. He's getting pretty good at them :)

 

 

Auntie Stacy got the "chomp and clack" alligator walking toy up and going to!

From the looks of it in the second picture - he was getting tired and needing a ride.

 

I think we've recruited another member for the family band!  Consider this your official invitation

to "MJ and the Rockers" Auntie Stacy.  You can accompany Max on his drum solos (or sing alto because we all know who the soprano in this family is!) #itsme

 

 

Max is showing off his new favorite book - "Ducks".  In this

riveting tale the ducks do things like splash and dive.  But, the best

part is that the "ducks" are foam pieces that come out of the book

and he can chew on them.   Max apparently also wanted to show off

his sippy cup drinking skills!

 

 

By the time we got home (around 9:30) - they had played all night, fed him, bathed him,

and put him to bed!  They even managed to get dinner themselves (even though we offered to have

a pizza ready for them).  Auntie Stacy revealed that she likes to babysit with Grandmim because Mim does all the not so fun tasks (i.e. changing dirty diapers, filling up the bath tub, cleaning up after dinner etc.) and then she gets to do lots of the fun stuff! ha!  No matter how they work it though - I can't tell you how much joy it brings us to be able to leave

for the night and know that Max is going to be well taken care of (maybe even spoiled... ;)



9 Month Update

I feel like every month I'm rendered almost speechless as I look back through the weekly photos.  As much as I hate admitting it, my wee little man is not so little any more - in fact he's nine months!  He's been on the outside now for just as long as he was inside.  And, as much as I enjoyed the "in" - the "out" is just better and better everyday! 

 

 

 

 

We had a regulary scheduled doctor's appointment today.  It was a bit grueling in that we had to fill out a six page "test" with questions pertaining to Max's gross motor skills, fine motor skills, social skills, sleeping etc. It really forces you to think about how your child is developing (and possibly freak out a little bit) as well as making you aware of how "in the moment" you should try to be when interacting with your baby (aka put down the phone sometimes :) That said - he passed! haha!  The doctor said he was doing great - we talked a bit about food and bottles (because I had lots of questions) and she sent us on our merry way.

 

Weight:  23 lbs 8 oz

Height:  30 inches

Such a Big Boy: Full on crawling, pulling up, eating more solids, using a sippy cup, and finally sleeping through the night

 

Still our Baby: Oh so chubby, snuggly and sweet, loves his bottle and pacifier

 

On the development side

 

Crawling:  Last I updated - he was army crawling everywhere.  And suddenly, almost overnight, he got really good at full on crawling.  He got his belly off the ground and it all clicked into place.  Can you believe it?  My little used to be embryo is crawling!!  He crawls everywhere - in the family room, all over his room, and even down the hallway.  We need to take some time and really babyproof this house ...but there never seems to be enough time!  For now, if we keep an eye on him and "spot" him near the stairs it seems to be fine. 

 

Sitting:  He is an excellent sitter!

 

Pulling up:  I used to call him "gumby" because his legs seemed so bendy but - lately he puts more weight on them.  We often find him standing in the crib after nap time (enough that we lowered the mattress).  He can also pull up on the stairs, couch, high chair, and ottoman. 

 

Playing:  Max is so much fun to play with these days!  He loves to pull out all the books and is especially obessed with "tactile" books (meaning something he can touch, turn, or pull on the page).  He still LOVES his instruments - probably the drums most.  He will use the drum sticks to bang on just about anything. We use the stacking cups to build tower after tower that he knocks down.  Also - homeboy loves to "rough house".  Meaning - he will crawl over to you, pull up and flop on you.  Then, if you flip him on his back - he will just roll all over you (Auntie Stacy started this habit....and he's super in to it!)  Another funny thing I discovered is that if you put a small blanket over your head and ask "where's mama" or "where's dada" - he will crawl right over and pull it off.  It's his version of peek-a-boo, I think.  I would also be remisce if I did not mention he is OBSESSED with out cat, Pecan Sandy. Sadly, Pecan does not reciprocate his love and usually runs away (much to Max's chagrin) - though she will stick around if he's eating cheerios. (She likes to "clean up" after his mess).

 

Babbling:  Max loves to babble!  We are hearing lots of "da dads" and "ma ma" too!  Mixed in with lots of "ya ya", and the "na na" and "ga ga" sound!  He also likes to experiment with the pitch of the sounds...almost like he's trying to get our attention! ha!

 

Eating

 

Max still drinks four bottles a day (8:30, 12ish, 4ish, and 7).  While we prepare eight ounce bottles - he generally drinks somewhere between six and eight ounces.  His favorite is the bedtime bottle -- he will usually drink all of that! We aren't too worried about him drinking the full eight ounces all the other times because it's natural for babies to start drinking less when they eat solids and generally start to wean themselves as they get closer to one year.

 

As for meals - Mama still feeds him breakfast - usually a grain based cereal with pureed fruit or vegetable and one or two finger foods.  The babysitter gives him a snack (toast, mum mum, cracker, or softened fruit).  We finish up with dinner at home.  The biggest changes are that we are trying to offer/give more protein (so far chicken, turkey, and beef) - he usually eats about 2-3 ounces and also more pureed fruits and veggies.  More recently he has tried steamed broccoli, asparagus, soft cheddar cheese, yogurt, pasta (bow-tie) and banana!  He can totally get down on a banana.  Basically we try to "deconstruct" whatever we are eating so he can have some too.  It's just so hard to monitor how much he is eating of "solid" foods - so we still offer the other pureed stuff too!  The finger foods we are using include - puffs, mum-mums, crackers, toast, yogurt bites, and these things look like cheetos (but aren't).

 

The sippy cup is going So Much Better!  We give it to him regularly and he probably drinks about 2-4 ounces of water a day (which the doctor said was great!)

 

Sleeping

 

I'm proud to say that he pretty consistently sleeps through the night!  We went through a rough patch during some teething (on the top) - but that can't really be helped.  And, the baby orajel was pretty great during this time.  Most nights he will wake up and babble a bit in the morning (around 5) but we don't go in and he usually goes back to sleep.  The past two weeks, he has been waking up around 6:15 and then I go get him from the crib and bring him back in bed with me.  We snuggle for a bit and he usually falls back asleep.  I love this time (so much in fact it made me late today! ha!)

 

Napping is usually pretty good - still two naps a day (morning and afternoon).  Morning nap at about 9:15 AM for an hour and fifteen mintues or longer.  Afternoon nap about 1:45ish for an hour or so.  All total he gets about 13-14 hours of sleep a day (wish I were getting this much!)

 

Just plain fun...

 

Renewed interest in clapping, still trying to put together a "wave", creating Valentine's (stay tuned), having Auntie Stacy and Grandmim babysit two times (for a work event and wedding), new toys, music class (on Tuesdays), a big boy car seat, messy meal times, bathtime splashes in the ducky, snow days in his snow suit, and his first piece of "art" came home from school! 

 

Can't believe this babe is NINE months old. We love you Max, forever and ever and ever!

xOXo



Super love at the Superbowl

One of the perks of having Auntie Stacy live in town (other than free babysitting, hand me down clothes, supper club, endless phone chats/Facetime, and Sunday Suppers) is that her friends have slowly become my friends!  And who doesn't need more friends?  When Stacy and I lived together at Chandlee Place (or the Nut, as we loving referred to it), she introduced me to Liz!  We all started working out together, grabbing pizza, crafting on the weekend and then it eventually led to full blown friendship.  Fast forward a couple years and Liz is now married and the mother to Max's girlfriend, Brianna.

 

You may recall that Max and Brianna have been on just two previous dates - you know we're all about taking it slow here :)  We started out with an ice cream date (#classic) and then a Zoo date (#predictable)...but on Sunday, Liz and her husband Jordan hosted a Superbowl Party! While we knew we couldn't stay for the whole thing - it was basically an absolute must that we get these two cuties together again (or maybe it was all the amazing appetizers and promise of not having to cook dinner...but I digress). 

 

Max started out as the youngest baby there (but later, a darling five month old named Aubrey showed up and stole the show)...so he was acting a little shy.  He was very content to just sit with Rob, Auntie Stacy, or me.  But - after awhile the call of the new, SHINY toys couldn't be denied.  We sat him down on the carpet and let him go to town.  Eventually him and Brianna ended up next to each other...and here's how it played out.

 

At first - they were all...oh we're sitting next to each other?  We hadn't noticed...

Max is playing it real cool here...rolled up shirt sleeves, sporty thermal and coy smiles..

 

Then, Max zeroed in on the fact that Brianna had a water bottle.

(This is so funny because I thought it might just be Max that liked

water bottles...turns out most kids are fans of them. It's the little

things I guess).  So ...now he's like...ohhh I want Brianna that water bottle.

 

Now - here's where we need a little "sharing is caring" reminder. 

But basically they are both trying to play with the water bottle.

It didn't end all that great - there was some fussing,

some hair pulling (Max has lots of hair to grab) and then

later possibly some jousling.  BUT -

 

Then, Max was like let me show you this awesome

Hoberman sphere...it's magic! (which Brianna probaby already

knew because it's her toy #babyproblems).  However, she does

look like she is entranced.

 

Then, she was like - "let me show what it does!"

And he was mesmorized!  Amazing!  Falling in love

over mutual love of toys :)

 

It was such fun seeing all the kiddos together!  And Liz was

an excellent host...all the best toys, a high chair to borrow, and no

judgement when I busted out my jarred baby food. 

Can't wait to get everyone together again.

XOxo



When Mama Travels...

I wouldn't say that I have to travel a lot for my job...but once a year the opportunity presents itself that I get to attend a preschool education conference. The conference is Wednesday to Friday, but we like to go for a full week and try to meet with other educators at the local Zoo. Usually, the conference is in November - but at that point Max was only 6 months old and I just couldn't fathom leaving him (or Papa Rob) for a week --so I convinced my colleagues to try a new conference in January.  In Chicago (what was I thinking??). 

 

In my mind - it would be so much easier to leave at that point because Max would be almost nine months old.  As it got closer and closer to the departure date - my heart grew more heavy with emotions. How could I leave?  Would Papa Rob be okay?  Would Max forget me?  Would my house be a total disaster when I got home?  Literally the Friday before I was supposed to be leaving, I felt ill all day long.  The one important thing that got me through planning, packing, and eventually having to actually leave was to remind myself that Max and Rob would find new and fun ways to connect and function while I was gone.  And, that would be totally okay.

 

(the sunday before I left we had family dinner at Fazolis

with Auntie Stacy...it was perfect!)

 

Because I know at some point I will have to travel again - I wanted to write this post so I could recall what works (and thus, minimize the drama in my own mind).

 

1.)  Have my awesome father in-law send me a pep talk via text message.  It should come as no surprise that not only is Papa Rob amazing, so is his dad, Grandpa Jim!  When I woke up on Monday morning (at 4:15 AM) - I had the most wonderful text message from Grandpa Jim.  He reminded me that not only would everything be fine at home - but it was good for me professionally to be able to attend these conferences.  I would be resume building and networking and ultimately taking care of my career. It was just what I needed to read in the wee hours of the morning and really propelled me out the door with a sense of calm. 

 

2.)  Facetime is awesome.  Right now - Max is at a great age where he responds to my face on the screen but doesn't get upset.  I could see if your child was a little bit older that it might send them into a melt down.  But, for now - this was great!  I could see his sweet cheeks, smiles, and laughs every night and if only for a moment feel like I was part of it all. 

(love laughing with them in the evening!)

 

3.) Make it real through pictures and videos.  Everyone was so amazing about sending me pictures all week long.  From our babysitter, to Rob, to my parents - I got to see lots of what Max was up to.  I knew he was having a blast...playing in snow, eating yogurt melts, using his sippy cup, even taking selfies!  I say - keep those pictures coming!

 

(Max rocking it out at music class with Daddy)

 

(Papa Rob sent this picture of Max's first "drawing" displayed proudly on the fridge)

 

4.)  Have the grandparents come for the day (if possible).  Grandmim and Grandpa Tim offered to come up and have homeschool for a couple days - but ultimately they were just needed one day.  During this day - I got lots of pictures!  And, a true play by play of what they were up to (turns out Max was up to filling up his diaper quite a bit...ahem.)  But, they also managed to unload the dishwasher, clean bottles, do a load of Max's laundry, and make dinner before leaving. No complaints here!

 

 

5.)  Get an awesome roommate.  My roommate for the trip was my co-worker Kat.  She was so great about gently reminding me that everything was going to be fine.  She never judged when I would sneak off to Facetime with Rob and Max.  She also let me watch all my shows and was totally cool with going to bed early (I mean, if I'm going to be away from my family - I may as well be getting a full 10 hours of sleep!).  Bonus, she also has lots of family in Chicago, so we wined and dined at all the finest locals.

 

(living it up in the swanky hotel room!)

 

6.)  Make the most of the trip.  Not going to lie - dressing up, eating out, gettting a full nights sleep, visiting amazing Zoos in Chicago - it was all fabulous.  If I have to be away - I might as well try to make the most of it (and try not to feel guilty).

 

(We visited Brookfield Zoo and Shedd Aquarium!)

 

(deep dish pizza - sooooo good!)

 

7.)  Be a really great parenting partner.  Before leaving, Papa Rob and I touched base about everything.  I made sure there were lots of freezer meal options, and packed refrigerator.  I pre-paid for the babysitting and brought all the week's necessities on Friday (so he wouldn't have to remember it on Monday).  I laid out all of Max's outfits.  I forwarded him all important numbers and emails.  Basically, I wanted to make it as easy as possible to be a single parent for the week.  And, I told him - if he needed the weekend to recover, it was totally cool.  Heck, I even offered to book him a massage!  And, on the flip side - he kept me looped into everything that was going on here and any changes to Max's schedule - which I really appreciated. 

 

(love these two!)

 

My job will probably always require a tiny bit of travel.  The more prep work I do, the more honestly and equitably we handle our changing roles, the better it goes for everyone. We’ve also organized our village to ensure we can ask for more help when my travel happens, so thinking ahead has also been important.  Needless to say - we all made through!  And I'm super happy to be home :)

 

(while I did sneak in for some snuggles on Friday evening...

our real reunion was bright and early on Saturday morning!)

XoxO

Currently

(Editor's note: I wrote this post in Chicago on my I-pad and then couldnt't get the picture to upload...so here it is a couple days late :))

 

Eating: Garrett's popcorn, deep dish pizza, and room service (I'm in Chicago yo!)

Reading: the opening minds conference packet, US Weekly, and divergent series (thanks to auntie Stacy for the recommendation)
Watching:  the Bachelor, the Mindy Project, Parks & Recreation, and Parenthood

Becoming: obsessed with organization (I will soon show you the new toy storage happening in the family room... The toys were getting out of control)

Loving:  trader joes instant coffee and my booties ( ankle boots I got for Christmas), and FaceTime! 

Wearing: my new scarf with elephants on it and Stella and dot jewelry 

Trying: to be more positive this year (#newyearnewme)

Collecting: books for Max's library (I just bought him " dear zoo" and I think he will love all the flaps)

Working on: scrapbook catch up and fitting in exercise

Wishing: the polar vortex would go away!! And for more hours in a day...

Needing: a new straightener but gosh they are expensive

Feeling: proud of myself for surviving a week away from Max and proud of Rob for basically being super dad

Celebrating: going home tomorrow! And Max crawling

Winter Wonderland

We are in the middle of getting lots and lots of snow here in Ohio. (Insert obligatory groan).  When I watched the news last night it said we got four inches yesterday and we are expected to get another two to four today!  Lots of schools had snow days all week long and are expected to be off again this coming week because of the windchills ( -25 people..) Oh my...that's a lot of cold and snow! 

 

With all of these flaky friends hanging around...I knew it was the perfect time to bust out Max's snow suit.  This little number was given to us by Max's girlfriend Brianna.  She only wore it once last winter...and then thought we might be able to use it this winter.   Max wore it the first time when we went to see the live nativity in Dayton in December.  Then yesterday, Papa Rob wrestled him into it for the lovely pictures below.  :)

 

(Mama and Max on the front porch).

 

Once we got him all bundled up it became evident that this will likely be the last time he fits into this snow suit...so I'm glad we were able to capture the cuteness!  Also - this child has like 10 winter hats now and each time we shove one on put one on it's cuter than the last!  I can't even handle it.

 

 

I plopped him down on the bench on the front porch and he struck this "model pose".  He's all like, "hey, look at me...I'm the most precious child ever and I'm available for baby modeling".  Carters - please call us.  We own like 3/4 of your store...and homeboy needs some cash in the college fund! haha!

 

 

After he sat there for like thirty seconds - I think he realized the cold was seeping through his snow suit and freezing his buns!  Above is his - "I'm tolerating this picture business but not for much longer Mom..also why does Daddy get to stay inside?!" Oh man...I really do wish I knew what he was thinking sometimes.

 

One last attempt to get a perfect picture :) 

 

After Papa Rob got over the initial shock of me wanting to take Max out in the snow for a total of five minutes...he decided that maybe we should shovel the driveway and side walks a bit.... so old man winter, I mean Rob, got to work! I should also mention, this is after he fell down the stairs this morning (he blames the cabin socks for being too slippery - I refuse to believe anything negative about cabin socks).  So - we are very thankful that his shoulder was still able to shovel the 2 tons of snow that was residing on our driveway..

 

Once he was finished shoveling...we were all happy and warm again inside!

 

 

Xoxo  

Crawl Car

(Rumble bee circa 2010)

 

When I first met Papa Rob he was driving a truck called the "Rumble Bee"...and friends, it literally rumbled each and every time we drove it.  It had a hemi engine (or something like that) and so when Rob left for work every morning at 6:40 ...I swear it woke the whole neighborhood.  I also joked that I had to vault myself into it because it was so high off the ground. But -- that truck did get me moved two different times, drove home many a treasures from the flea market, and most importantly was where we shared our first kiss :)  All this to say it was only a matter of time until Max would need a sweet car of his own! 

 

 

Enter...the Fisher Price Crawl Car!  I think I was with Stacy when we first saw the commercial for it and we both went "well that looks awesome...I bet Max would love that"!  It stayed on my mind for days...but to be honest - I had already purchased the gifts we were giving Max and I had not budgeted for an additional gift.  The age range of the car was 6 months to two years...so I thought maybe we would get it for him for his birthday.  However...imagine our delight when there was one more gift for Max to open on Christmas day...and a big box at that.  We ripped into the paper and discovered that Auntie Kathy had purchased the crawl car for Max!  Hooray! 

 

 

Fast forward to two weeks ago - Grandmim and Grandpa Tim brought up the car up (sadly we did not have room for it when we were returning to Columbus after the holidays.  It's ironic that we gave up the rumble bee to get a more "family friendly" car and then all of our "family gifts" did not fit into the new car.  We have very generous family and friends :)  Papa Rob got to work putting it together...and Max has been enjoying it ever since.  I like that while it is battery operated...there are lots of other uses for it.  Max can go in and out (the door opens) - he can pull up on it...there is a shape sorter on the side...he can push it (hello gross motor skills) and on and on... 

 

 

I think you'll agree from the pictures below that he is having a great time with it!

 

(open shut them...doors are so much fun!)

 

(he found the turn signal!)

 

(are his hands at 10 and 2?!)

 

(beep beep....coming through!)

 

Turns out someone else likes the crawl car too...

 

 

We're looking foward to many more months of fun with this car! 

XoXO