The Weather WARMED UP!

After multiple polar vortexes...50+ inches of snow...and the temps going so low that

I could feel my individual nostril hairs freezing.... mother nature finally

relented and we got warm weather! 

 

 

This obviously meant we needed a family walk!  I hustled home on Friday and we busted out

the baby Ergo carrier.  We even put some baby TOMS (trendy shoes) on Max....and away we went.  It felt so great to feel the sunshine on our shoulders. 

 

 

 

Can't wait for more weekends like these :) 

Xoxo



Little Signs

Sometimes it seems life has not changed too much since Max was born.  Those are the nights when he sleeps from 7:30pm to 6:15am.  And when we still go out to dinner, the grocery, and Target.  And I watch my shows and blow dry my hair while still having time to straighten it. But, most days the signs of Maxwell James are everywhere.  And I'm okay with that too.  I know the sink full of bottles won't always be there.  I understand that not every weekend will revolve around a nap schedule.  And that someday I won't feel like we need to rush through dinner to keep up with the bedtime routine. 

 

Until then - I wanted to record some of the little signs around our house that remind me that in fact we do live with an (almost) ten month old....and his presence is everywhere (the kitchen, the bathroom, my car...) And right now, I wouldn't have it any other way. 

 

In the kitchen:// his high chair...little bits of food on my floor (if you come over...don't expect it to be clean)...bottles in the sink...his latest artwork on the fridge (I mean...is there anything more adorable than your babies artwork? )...his spoons in our utensil drawer...and baby food in the cabinets.

 

In the bathroom://  his shampoo on the ledge...his brush... baby washclothes hanging to dry...and piles and piles of animal clings and squirters.

 

In the car:// the obvious car seat...miscellaneous toys...extra diapers and a stroller.

 

In the living room:// piles of books...toys strewn everywhere...his elephant chair (that he doesn't actually sit in...just throws himself at...his music table... his walkers.

 

In the medicine cabinet:// baby Tylenol, baby Advil, snot suckers, teething tablets, nail clippers, brush, and the newest addtional...a temporal thermometer.  (Max had a low grade fever for couple days this week and we were driving him and ourselves crazy with our other thermometer).

 

Everywhere else:// blanket, shoes, pacifier, and diaper bag by the door, toys all over our bedroom floor and hallway, "go-pod" in our bedroom so he can be contained while I get ready on work mornings...and clothes on the ironing board in the basement always needing sorted and put away.

 

 

Yes, signs of Max are everywhere...

xoxo

Meal Time at the Haucks

 

Remember back when Max turned five months and we started introducing food?

I think I lamented then about how messy the rice cereal was and probably

complained about it dribbling all over his body.  Turns out - THAT WAS NOTHING.

What I mean by that is - feeding your almost ten month old son is not for the faint

of heart.  The mess is easily ten fold what it was when we were spoon feeding

him cereal and pouch food.  I didn't know how good I had it (neither did my poor kitchen

floors).  There is literally no surface immune to the food flinging, sippy cup dropping, tornado of dinner time fury named Maxwell James.

 

It all started back at our nine month well check.  Part of the discussion at the doctors office was starting more finger foods and solid foods.  This was exciting in that pouch food is super expensive...so hey, if he could eat what we eat, I'm game.  But, on the flip side - meal times are now three times as long because Max likes to "explore" if you will, his food.  The doctor asked if he was eating puffs - to which we said - "like a champ!". So she gave us the green light to go ahead and let him try everything but nuts and honey. With special precautions around things like grapes and hot dogs (becuase of their size).  Flash forward to dinner time.

 

 

We have always eaten together as a family - Max in his high chair and us in our chairs.  I like that it sets a nice example of meal time for Max.  Also, I think he learns a lot just from watching Papa Rob and I eat - the chewing motion, bringing food to our mouth, sipping from a cup etc. The next step was just to give him what we eat - simple right?  Well no, turns out it's not.  The food that we eat has texture and flavor!  So, it pretty much goes that whatever we give him (cut in much smaller baby friendly pieces), he gleefully puts in his mouth, rolls it around a bit, chews it for a bit....then spits it back out. Once regurgitated - this food may remain on the high chair tray ....or he might put it in again and give it another go! So gross - but he's learning I guess. This past week, he has started to look in the "pouch" of his bib for any leftovers or things that didn't make it in his mouth the first go around (he's got about a 50/50 food to mouth ratio).

 

Breakfast is by far the best meal for us - Max is carb man!  He loves all bread products...so he

will easily eat toast, bagels (with cream cheese!), and even pancakes!  He also likes scrambled eggs quite a bit...and then sometimes we will put some fruit (mandarin oranges, raspberries etc.) in oatmeal.  Of course, he doesn't eat all of this at one time... but those are just some of the things we have done.

 

 

Lunch is at "school" and he usually has some crackers, fruit (in the mesh teether), and yogurt.  Although - he has tried lasagna (liked the marinara, spit out the noodles)!  I think his teacher gives him things to try and just lets him go at it. I'm not too worried about lunch at this point because I know he eats a good breakfast and then I can always monitor dinner.

 

Then we get to dinner time.  Usually, I have to think ahead and figure out what parts of our dinner he can have (as is) and then what to modify.  For example - we are having tacos this week, so I will deconstruct them and feed him the cheese, meat, beans, and avacado.  Since there is no fruit in that, I might add something else at the end.  Meal planning has never come in more handy! And, Max eating what we're eating has really forced us to clean up what we eat too!

 

No matter what, dinner time is always a production!  Things he has tried include - broccoli, carrots, avacado, banana, meatballs (loved em!), meatloaf, chicken, pasta shells (not so sure), asparagus, sweet potato, mashed potato, and cottage cheese.  (Side note - did you know that you should offer your child something 12 times before really saying they "don't like it"). Of course, there are some things we still feed him on the spoon too.  Oh the spoon!  Another battle - in that - he likes to clamp down on it and not "give it back". He would really like to be feeding himself...but we're a ways off from that.  So, we sometimes appease him by giving him one of his own to hold.   

 

 

Overall, by the time dinner is over, the food is everywhere.  And, I mean everywhere.  Like in all the cracks and crevices of the high chair, stuck to his clothes, all over the bib, all over his face, in his neck rolls, and the best - in his hair!!  And when he's done, he let's you know.  He will just start shuffling the food all over his plate.  His least favorite part of all of this - the clean up?  He does NOT like to have his face cleaned. 

 

 

This whole feeding thing requires such patience.  I have to remind myself all the time not to get upset at the mess (it's just the floor for goodness sakes) - and I always try to make a happy/smiley face when he puts new foods in his mouth.  I know Max is always looking to us and learning from us. 

Keep your fingers crossed as we have Mexican food, noodles, and pizza on the menu for this week!

Play Time with Max

Now that Max is getting older and mobile -- playing is WAY more fun (and dare I say tiring?)

I'm pretty sure if he had his way, he would climb our stairs every day all day.

(Sidenote: We are totally dragging our feet on the baby proofing.  It all seems so

overwhelming!  They make like 100 different gates and none of them seem

to fit our configuration.  And oh man, don't even get me started on the cabinet locks...)

However, since we are *attempting* to keep him off the stairs... we have to distract him

with other fun things... like TOWERS!

What is it about little boys that makes them want to destroy things? 

The minute he zeroes in on a tower...it's on!  He pushes it right over.  We've gotten really creative with our tower building - using the cups, blocks, books and rings.

(Now we are working on stacking...)

 



 If a tower doesn't work...there is always books!  He loves to pull all the books

out of the basket or off the shelves.  He won't sit still for long...unless the book has flaps or texture. 

Sometimes he even likes to gnaw on them :)

 

 

The day before Valentine's day a special surprise arrived for Mr.Max....in the form of a collapsible tent!  We literally ripped the package open and popped it right up!  It is the perfect spot for

chilling, peek-a-boo, kicking some toys around (or kicking your feet around in Max's case), and generally just being lots of fun!  It also has holes on three of the sides for easy access into and out of.  And, it's Pecan approved too :)

 

 

We are still enjoying music class too!  He's still the youngest (and smallest) child there (and sometimes the only boy!) but he really seems to like it!  This past week we played with the "lolly sticks".  Max was obviously a pro at this - since he is the drummer in our family band.

 

 

We got two days of semi-nice weather last week.  You know I made Papa Rob bust out the stroller (thanks to the Griffiths family for this lovely hand me down).  At first he was so wiggly we could barely get him in (picture him sliding practically all the way out of it).  The next time, I think he understood more of what to expect so he was down with it.  I'm so looking forward to more nice weather (please tell me it's coming) - and more family evening strolls.

 

 

 

The best distraction though - seeing Daddy!  Max's whole face literally lights up when Rob enters the room.  While I'm a little jealous....it's also kind of precious.  Papa Rob's my favorite too, so I can't blame him too much.

 

 

 

Maxwell James - you are just so much fun! You are keeping us

on our toes that's for sure...and we can't wait to see what you are up to next :)

 

xoxo



31 favorite things

Last Sundy was my birthday.  I turned 32.  Instead of feeling real old (which um, yeah I do) I thought I might take a cue from another blogger and start a tradition of sharing 31 things that have made the last year pretty rad.

 

trader joes instant coffee:// I dabbled in coffee quite a bit over the last few years.  But I can safely say I need it now.  Like must have it most mornings.  My diet coke consumption has definitely gone down - but coffee intake definitely up.  I'm not sure which is worse...

maxi skirts:// So, so forgiving in the weeks (and even months) post baby. They make me feel pretty and yet hide some things that are still in progress (aka getting a somewhat less flabby stomach). I'm still loving them and looking forward to adding a few more to my wardrobe this spring and summer.

 

growing my own zuchinni:// It's true - our zuchinni plant only yielded one actual zuchinni but man oh man was I proud of that vegetable!  I posted a picture on instagram of me with the zuchinni and captioned it "turns out I can grow more than humans". :)  And then, I promptly made it into bread!

 

zinnias:// along those same lines - on May 5 my mom and Rob planted some zinnia seeds in our backyard flower beds.  I didn't put too much stock in them growing into actual plants because I had never planted something from a seed.  But - grow they did!  They grew SO tall and provided the most beautiful bouquets all summer long!  Definitely doing that again.

spanxx:// or assets, or shapewear - whatever you want to call it.  Again - so many things are jiggly and wiggly post child birth.  These body sucking garmets just hold you in and smooth you out.  While I probably couldn't wear them everyday - they definitely came in handy on special occassions when you need to feel just a little more put together.

 

group texting:// turns out on your iphone you can include more than one person on your text message.  This is so freakin handy.  And has made for lots of fun when your mom, dad, and sister are all on the same text and you're all watching the grammy's or AMA's.  Or when you're girlfriends are all watching the bachelor. It also makes it real easy to send lots of pictures of Max to lots of people at a time. Those people at apple really know what's up.

 

BANGS:// when I needed a hair change but a small one - I hastily (meaning I did not consult really anyone) got bangs.  They are most definitely more work but I like them a lot.

 

 

Scandal:// the tv show.  Olivia Pope solves all the problems (or she gets one of her gladiators to).  also her wardrobe.  Especially the coats.  I will have one of each.  Kerry Washington (the actress who plays Olivia Pope) even inspired the bangs!

 

 

menchi's:// I love frozen yogurt.  I'm kind of an expert at frozen yogurt.  Trust me - this place is the Best.  I wouldn't lie to you.  Their toppings bar is like heaven.

 

 

Chevy Equinox:// Our new "family" car.  It was a sad day (for Rob) when he sold the Rumblebee truck but I for one love love love the equinox.  I would drive it every day if I could.  I love that is still smells new. dear lord, please send me one too.

frozen meals:// You may recall that my mom and Auntie Stacy and me all got together in April of last year to cook up some yummy meals.  We traded them. And then, we froze them.  It made my life so much easier.  Planning one less meal during the week and having to do that many less dishes in clean up rocked my world.  Gals (Lynn and Candice and Kat I'm looking at you) - let me know if you want to do this sometime.  I'm in.  All in.

 

Instagram:// Facebook's out.  Instagrams in.  Really - I've posted 268 photos of Max over there.  And about 5 on Facebook.  Instagram's where it's at. 

 

Costco:// I wanted to hate this place.  I really did.  But they sucked me in with their salted carmels.  And their delicious chicken tortilla soup.  And their paper products.  And don't even get me started on sample day Saturday (really the only day you should go).  We only go once a month but I really do enjoy our trips.

 

Trader Joes pizza dough:// it's ridiculously cheap - like 99 cents or something.  And it's so much easier than making my own.  Maybe someday I will but until then - Trader Joes does it right.  It freezes well and its fun to toss into the air and pretend your a pizza master (or maybe it's just Rob and I that do that??)

 

Supper Club:// I can't believe I'm in year three of dining with these ladies.  I have only missed one month!  Can you believe it??  I don't plan on missing any more either because the food is always amazing and the company even better.

High Banks Metro Park:// Rob and I did so much walking with Max here in the summer and I can't wait to get back at it when the cold weather goes away.  It's a beautiful park with big trees, woodpeckers, spring flowers and good trails. 

 

 

Snap Chat:// another quick way to stay in touch with people.  I like to quickly snap pictures to people of Max - it's even easier than texting!  And you can doodle on the pics! 

 

Gel Manicures:// sometimes you just need to look down and see some nice looking nails.  If I'm going to spend the money on a manicure...it's likely I will be getting gel nails.  Two weeks and no chipping.  Please.  It's a no brainer.

 

 

Once Upon a Child:// I have a shopping problem when it comes to Max's wardrobe.  As in, the boy has a lot of clothes.  But, please I spent like $40 there this week and got like 40 pieces of clothing!  At $2.50 and under.  It takes some patience and not all of it is great - but I kind of like that hunt.

 

Woodhouse Spa:// After gel manicures my favorite thing to get is a massage.  This spa is in downtown Dublin and is so relaxing and wonderful.  They give you a big comfy robe and slippers and the whole experience was just dreamy.  (I got two prenatal massages). Thank goodness I still have some gift cards to use there!

 

Belvita breakfast bars:// I put these in my shopping cart every week.  It's kind of like a tasty granola bar...but better.  And now they have a "chewy" version...the mixed berry is so so good.  try it.  Let me know your thoughts.

Chambray shirt:// Goes.With.Everything.  I would wear this 5 out of 7 days a week if possible.

 

#machomax://the hashtag I created when Max was born. I'm obsessed with looking back through all the photos (like I probably do this more than one person should). I have lots of plans for those pictures!

 

"you can do anything.  but, you can't do everything":// something I still have to remind myself...this quote will probably carry on into year 32.

 

new glasses:// for Rob and for me. i knew i needed them but man oh man, I love them! 

 

polka dots:// It's fair to say that my love affair with the dots continued into year 31 and still goes strong.

 

 

PapaRob:// He will always be one of the very best things every year.  But this year especially we grew stronger and more together.  Meaning every day he reminds me that we are a team.  when I'm an emotion mess...he pulls it together and vice versa.  I can always count on him. 

 

 

Family photos:// While I balked a little at the initial "sitting fee" and then again at the actual price of the pictures I'm obsessed with the images that our photographer (the fabulous Jenny Barnes) captured.  The expressions on Max's face.  The feelings between Rob and I.  Our new little family of three.  Honestly, worth every penny.

 

Oakland Nursery:// I truly became crazy plant lady this past summer.  I would beg Rob to take us there every weekend.  And if not there, then Lowes.  He suggests I'm "crowding" our flower beds....I say no way!

 

My People:// Auntie Stacy, Grandmim, and Grandpa Tim.  We joke that our lives (meaning the Hauck family) are being held together only because of the once a week visits from these guys. I'm embarrassed to admit this is sort of true.  Just this week my mom did some laundry, cleaned the litter box, and sorted some clothes.  My dad shoveled our driveway and salted.  And Auntie Stacy encouraged me to get take a much needed sick day. The way they take care of us can only be described as generous, thoughtful, and heartwarming.

 

Max:// easily the thing I am most fond of.  He has certainly made our days so much more fun.  I'm obsessed with his hair.  His wardrobe.  His chubby thighs.  His chin dimple.  His gumby-like legs. His giggle.  All of it.

 

 

Absolutely can't wait to see what 32 holds.

xoxo

 

Happy Valentine's Day!

Last Sunday we attempted to create some Valentines for Max's "school" party.

I had found an idea on Pinterest that involved a fish theme.  So, I die cut some

fish on cardstock at work...and then let Max paint them with different shades of pink paint.

 

 

I squirted the paint directly on the tray of his high chair. He noticed it

right away and put his fingers in it.  Then he wasn't sure what to do....

 

 

Finally he began to run his fingers over the fish and picked some of them up to investigate.

Grandmim also did some strategic encouraging and off he went!

 

 

 

At the end he had "painted" about 12 Valentines fish! 

 

 

Later on in the week Papa Rob and I assembled bags of PepperRidge Farm goldish with

tags that said "I'm so glad you're in my school".  And Max took them to school tday!

I love doing these kinds of projects :)

 

Bonus for us - when we got to school, Max had created this precious

canvas for us!  Love it!!

 

 

My darling Valentine's :)  I'm a lucky gal!

XoXO