Max Salutes the USA

As a firm believer in celebrating all holidays and living them up to the fullest (fireworks, sparklers, smores, oh my!)- it's going to come as no surprise that Max had a surplus of patriotic outfits.  So many in fact, that he had to wear them all week long! My little pint sized patriot started out the week in this red, white, and blue pirate number.  I only wish I would have remembered to take a picture of the back.   It said "pirate's booty" across the bum :)  The crazy part is I remember my parents bringing this outfit to the hospital when Max was born and laying it over him - it looked so big!  And now....it fits pretty good.  Ahoy from First Mate Max!                                                               

 I actually went to Dayton a few days ahead of the Fourth...and I knew that my mom and I would be running around town visiting friends, shopping, and running errands.  So, Max's next outfit was a little romper that said "All American Boy".  He was certainly a man about town (and really has been since birth) - so he was pretty tired out by the time I remembered to take a picture.  Holy moly, I can't get enough of those chubby cheeks!!

Later on in the day - we had some fun with a bedazzled Uncle Sam hat.  (What, your family doesn't have dozens of patriotic props??)

On the Fourth of July Max had to make several outfit changes.  He started out the morning in some red, white, and blue overalls from Auntie Stacy. 

And, as my friend Lynn says, it's not a holiday unless there's a bib to commerate it - so we have the "My First Fourth of July" bib.  This actually works out quite well because Max has started wearing bibs when taking his bottle to catch the dribbles.

Rob came down after work on the 4th - and by that time we were on outift number two!  As it turns out Rob and Max sort of matched (unplanned, but now I'm obsessed with finding the two of them matching outfits!!!)  My two favorite guys sporting some red, white, and blue plaid.

While Max and I don't match - we're a pretty cute pair too!

Never fear - we also have a patriotic sleeper!  It should also be noted that on top of dressing Max in red, white, and blue all week I felt the need to pose him with patriotic props from all over my parents house.  Let's pretend Max is going on a picnic in the below photo :) 

The patriotic pants carried over to the next day too!

We put Max in one more outfit to commerate his first Fourth of July - it was a pretty simple onesie to keep him cool on our car ride home (spoiler alert:  we got a new car!!!)

(Stay tuned later in the week for pictures :)

 

So, Happy 4th of July from the All American Family!

 xoxo

Max Lately

I can't believe it's already July and Max is almost two months (wahhhh...where is the time going??)  Rather than focus on my dwindling maternity leave - let's focus on how adorable Max is! 

He was hanging out in his crib in the above photo while grandmim and I rearranged all his clothes :)  Turns out they really do make a lot of cute boy clothes and I might have purchased a lot of them!  Between Carters, Babies R' Us, Target, and Once Upon a Child...no place is safe for me to go when there are baby clothes to be bought.  Have no fear -they are now all organized by size in tubs and ready to go when Max needs them. (Grandparents - we have a lot of 6 months clothes/onesies...but are always looking for 9-12 months :) 

 

 

Most mornings Max and I hang out - wash bottles, take out the dirty diaper trash, listen to the      "Rock-a-bye Baby station on Pandora, and hang out on his play mat.  I try to vary things - reading stories, playing with finger puppets, rattles, and singing songs. 

Another thing we are really working on is tummy time.  While Max originally didn't seem to mind - he gets really grumpy now.  So, we are trying to ease into it.  Tummy time is important for infants to develop their neck muscles (among other things)...so like it or not - we have to keep going!

 

 

We also like to walk around the neighborhood in the evening...Max usually falls asleep on these strolls (as evidenced in the above picture).

My view of his adorable feet while on walk!

 

I purchased this "planet patrol" onesie on a whim while at Once Upon a Child with Stacy.  When I first put it on him the koala was folded up in the fabric and it looked like he was wearing a flesh colored body suit! This made me giggle so!  As it turns out - he looks adorable in it! And in the words of Auntie Stacy - I hope he never outgrows it!

 

Daddy was also getting a kick out of the onesie and sent me this picture with the caption "which way to the beach?"  It made me burst out laughing!  I love how it looks like Max has little arm muscles he is flexing!

 

Auntie Stacy likes to come over and visit...which we all love too!  He already has her wrapped around his little finger!

 

As the shirt above indicates - Max is pretty much Captain Cutie all the time!

 

We can't get enough of him :)

 

Christmas is 6 months away!

In the spirit of Christmas being six months away (technically it was yesterday), Max decided to practice his best Kevin McCallister face...(and if you don't get that Home Alone reference, I'm not sure Max can be your friend!) hahahah!

 

"I took a shower washing every body part with actual soap; including all my major crevices; including inbetween my toes and in my belly button, which I never did before but sort of enjoyed. I washed my hair with adult formula shampoo and used cream rinse for that just-washed shine. I can't seem to find my toothbrush, so I'll pick one up when I go out today. Other than that, I'm in good shape." - Kevin McCallister (Home Alone)

 

Great holiday movie - let us know if you need to borrow it :)

 

Summer Time and the Living is Easy...

if your Max :)

Other than eating, growing, filling up diapers, and mastering the social smile (see below)...Max is well on his way to having a pretty busy summer.  Check out what he's done so far!



Here is contemplating the Browns 2013 football season - and like a typical Cleveland fan...started crying pretty soon after ;)

 

Then, he decided to meet up with his future girlfriend Brianna at Jeni's ice cream!

I think they'll make a totally precious couple!

 

 And of course, we can't forget - celebrating flag day!

He loves the USA

 

All that celebrating made him kind of tired...so he dozed on his exercise mat.

 

With renewed energy - he started to practice grabbing at his toys and even managed to grab "Maxwell Quackers" (which is what Mommy calls his duck)

 

Managed a few more smiles...

 

and made room for a little more ice cream (this time at Graeters)...

 

Whew!  After a busy few days, Max decided to relax with a bath...hang out in his robe...

 

and get cozy in his jammies!

 

He can't wait for the rest of summer!

(What a life!)

Happy Father's Day

It's funny how having a child can make you think so much about your own parents and family life.  As Father's Day rolled around and I was rushing to get all the cards and gifts together...as well as everything for our first overnight trip to Dayton - I really started to think about my dad.  So often, I think that I'm a lot more like my mom than my dad and while that might be true - there are several memories of my dad that really stand out.  My dad must have been in charge of bath time at our house because I have distinct memories of him helping me get ready for a bath and eventually shower, blow drying my hair, and making sure I looked pretty sweet (well, as sweet as you can with a curly mullet).  While I'm sure he had no idea how to work with my crazy mop of hair or what products to use - the fact that he made the time to get us ready and helped us put our best foot forward is pretty great.



Also - while my mom is the scrapbooker - my dad also made some pretty amazing home videos with our camcorder.  You know, back before there were i-phones or digital cameras - there were camcorders - which were 10 times the size of an i-phone, bulky, and you had to hold on your shoulder for long lengths of time.  No matter, my dad faithfully hauled that thing to soccer games (I mean, who doesn't want to tape their first grader picking dandelions while they were supposed to be playing soccer), and school functions (like the poetry contest where Steve Homan mispronounced my name), and he even taped my sixth grade performance (if you will) of Rachel Carson at Sugarcreek Metro Park. 



In high school - I was in the marching band (cue the nerdy uniforms, band camp, and Friday night spent at football games).  But, I will never forget my first year as drum major.  It involved a lot of drama...I was a junior and some of the seniors were not too happy about it.  Either way - I came home from school - pretty nervous because it was the big Alter versus Fairmont game (our local rivals) and there were yellow roses (our school colors were brown and gold) with a note from my dad wishing me good luck. 



My dad always knows just the right thing to say - or when not to say something (and just hands over the heating pad)!  He has been by my side, supporting me for the last 31 years - and almost six weeks ago - he supported me in a way I know he's been dreaming about for years.  He stayed up until practically two in the morning while I had a C-section and then finally got to meet his grandson!  I wish I had video of him meeting Max for the first time (but thankfully my mom took 1.2 million pictures) -- truly precious.  And dad, as Max grows and inevitably dreams in strange and wonderful ways about what he might like to do, I want to follow your lead.  I want to support him - whether on the sidelines of the lacrosse fields, or the audience of a concert hall or a myriad of other places - because of how you've supported me. If I can be anything for him like you've been for me, I know it will mean the world.

Beyond my dad, Rob also celebrated his first father's day!  Max is one lucky little boy to have him as as a dad.  Rob gets home from work and immediately washes his hands and changes shirts so he can hold Max.  He has gotten up countless times during the night for feedings, changes the stinkiest of diapers, is the master swaddler, and the falsetto voice he uses when singing or talking to Max is pretty great! 

 

Also - to my father-in-law Jim (one of the biggest supporters of the blog) - thank you for raising a patient, loyal, hard-working son - one who drops everything to help me (and now Max).  I firmly believe children are a true reflection of how they were raised and you (and Suzi) did one heck of a job!  We have enjoyed all your care packages, Facetime calls, and even postcards.  Honestly, I'm so excited for future trips to Oregon, golf outings (and then splashes in the hot tub), and for Max to hear all of your great stories! 

Truly - Rob and I are so blessed to have so many wonderful men in our lives.  We wouldn't be where we are today without all of your love and support!

 

xoxo