JANUARY 22, 2010 - 6 MONTH CHECK-UP
Our little man is growing up so fast!! He's eating about 40 oz. of formula per day AND about a cup of cereal, a 1/2 c. of fruit and 1/2 c. of veggies. Veggies seem to be his favorite - with sweet potatoes ranking at the top of the list. Peaches and bananas are definitely his least favorite. He's still getting up through the night but his pediatrician suggested (if we can stomach it) no longer feeding him through the night, and that after about a week, he'll get used to it. He promised that allowing Max to "cry it out" would not result in years of therapy for him in the future (he didn't mention whether we'd need help!) He's also sitting in his bigboy highchair now...and I think that next time we go out to eat, he'll be able to sit in a highchair. He sat in his first grocery cart about a week ago, and thought that was the greatest thing ever....of course, he tried to put everything, including the grocery cart, in his mouth!
Dr. Tyler was also impressed that Max has been sitting up on his own for almost a month - he said that it's typically something most babies are doing at closer to 7 months of age. Max is taking baths in the big bathtub...I told Bryan that our house has been 100% baby-fied now that there are rubber baby toys in the master bedroom spa-tub. He's REALLY into his feet right now...who needs toys when we have feet...The doctor also said we could start Max on stage 2 foods, and that he's at the height of his formula consumption, so yay for that!!
Max has gained about 3 pounds (19.3 now) and 3" - a little over 27" now....his head circumfrence is ranking in the 90th percentile! I think that came from his father...along with his stubborness. So, it's almost time to get a new carseat...a forward facing one, so I don't have to sit on the dashboard anymore :). He had to get 4 shots...but only cried for about 30 seconds, until I picked him up...thankfully (for me or him??) no more shots for 3 months.
I'm hoping to do a better job at keeping track of his changes. I just can't pull myself away from him long enough to get to the computer very often. I'm sure I'll be back to chat about the ongoing drama with his sleep at night. The doctor did say we're are doing everything right...now I just need some earplugs so we can get through the next couple nights....it just breaks my heart when he cries, because I know he's waiting for us to come save him. As I told Bryan, if not sleeping through the night is the worst thing he does right now, we're very lucky, because we've been blessed with a beautiful, healthy, and very happy little boy....with gorgeous blue eyes!
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JANUARY 24, 2010 - THE SLEEPING SAGA
So tonight will be night 3 of our "sleep through the night" extravaganza....the first night went pretty well--he was up from about 2:30am-3:30am, crying the whole time...I was in his room with him, trying to make sure he didn't do anything drastic :)... and then he slept until about 7:30am, which is pretty late for him.
Yesterday, we took him to Easton and got him a more streamlined stroller for walks around town....so I can get him back up the hill in one piece. We went to lunch and he sat in a highchair for the first time in a restaurant...he did very well and enjoyed watching everyone. Last night he fell asleep around 7:30, but was awake around 9ish and was very, very unhappy....so I crumbled (slightly) and rocked him back to sleep....but no bottle, just some water. He woke up again at 4am, and I got him up and gave him a bottle, which he finished off quickly, and he slept with me on the couch for a couple hours. Today we took him grocery shopping and let him sit in the cart---he loves looking at everyone and everything, he's becoming a little shy though.
Nice weekend with the little man...here's hoping for a better night's sleep!
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JANUARY 25, 2010 - SLEEPING AND CRAWLING
So I guess sleeping went a little better last night...he made it from about 7:30pm to 2am without waking up, and then he was pretty unhappy, so I rocked him for about an hour and gave him some water...and he slept from about 3 to 5:30am. He tried apples with blueberries last night and was not impressed. He gobbled down his usual oatmeal concoction (baby oatmeal, organic sugarless applesauce and formula...yummy yummy), but wouldn't eat more than a couple bites of the apple blueberry stuff. I tried to add it into his oatmeal this morning, and he completely snubbed it...it was a pretty bluish purple color :). My mom raved about the joys of teething biscuits...so we got him some....wow, what a mess...I had to change him and myself after about 10 minutes...and it didn't even look like he had touched the thing. You'd think after 30 years, they'd improve on this...they have wipe warmers and the diaper genie and epiderals (thank god!) and strollers nicer than my car...but can't make a less messy teething biscuit.
This morning, I laid him on his tummy, he's doing an amazing job at pushing himself up with his arms, but still hasn't figured out his back end so well. He's starting to boost his bottom off the floor, but hasn't gotten further than that. I'm really not wanting him to crawl yet, our house isn't ready for a mobile human vacuum....
Tomorrow is Bryan and my 2 year wedding anniversary....how the time has flown!! And how happy and blessed we are to have the life that we do! My mom sent us a humorous anniversary card that made sounds of a cruise ship....Max immediately found it to be very tasty and was quite upset when we wouldn't let him chew on it any more. We're starting to try to teach him the value of "no"....although I'm not sure whether it's a concept a 6 month old can grasp, I thought we should at least start trying to be consistent with him. Bryan and I've also made a pact to stop telling him that he's "rotten" and a "stinker" (because he just looks like he can stir up all kinds of trouble in the near future) because I decided that once he understands what we're saying, he'll try to live up to the names. So, his new nicknames are "fuzz" (for his hair) and "angel".
Well, the fuzzy angel is waking up from his mid-morning nap...I think we're going to try peas for the first time at lunch today!
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JANUARY 28, 2010 - HE DID IT... KINDA.
He slept through the night...2 nights ago!! But not last night....no, not last night at all. Last night he woke up around 11:30pm and I let him babble for about 30 minutes, when it turned into a cry. He didn't burp very well when I put him to bed around 8ish, so I tried to burp him again...but that didn't please him, so I rocked him and gave him some water and he fell back to sleep around 12:30am. But about 10 minutes later he was giving it "heck" (we're watching our language these days)...so I went to try and burp him again, and made sure he was okay, and then put him back to bed...so total 90 minutes of trying to sooth him...at this point, it's about 12:45am. He was content for a couple minutes, and then started to cry again....knowing that he was okay, I decided to let him "cry it out"...and he did, for over an hour. He finally fell asleep, and I went to check on him...he was crooked in his crib and about a foot from where he started Maybe we made a breakthrough??? I surely hope...listening to him cry is torture. After he finally fell asleep after 2am, I couldn't back to sleep until about 4:30am. He woke up at 6:30 - so I got about 3 hours of sleep last night, but I'm feeling pretty good....for now :).
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FEB 5, 2010 - SQUASH AND SNOW
It wasn't supposed to start snowing until later this afternoon, but we already have about 3 inches and are under a level 1 snow emergency. But, we have plenty of food...at least plenty of food for Max, so it's fine with me!
I'm watching Nolan today, and poor little guy has an ear infection...he's probably asked me where his mom is at least 143 times...and that's a low estimate. Hopefully, she can make it through the snow to get him....because we don't have plenty of food for a 2 year old!
Squash...Max finally ate more than a bite of the kind my mom made for him - some how he can tell the difference between home-made and store-bought. But today, I strained all of the chunks out (and made quite a mess doing it!!!) and he ate a big bowl of it!!! I'm so happy because it's so much less expensive than the store stuff...and I'm sure it's better for him too. Hopefully, he keeps it up, his tastes seem to change daily. Right now, all he'll eat is squash, sweet potatoes, green beans (sorta??) and pears. I feel bad giving him the same thing all the time (you know, since he's had formula for the first 6 months of his life)...but when I try to get crazy and mix things together for him...he won't eat it and I have to waste food. He won't eat cereal lately, I'm hoping that doesn't last!!
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FEB 15, 2010 - A TOOTH!!
Last week, Max was trying to gnaw on my fingers, and I felt his first tooth coming in!!! I couldn't believe it, as most people I've spoken with have said that their baby's teeth didn't start coming in until 9 months. But sure enough, his 2 bottom teeth are coming in, and you can see them both now. Our little man is handling it much better than I am...I've had to hold back tears a couple times. Everyone tells you how fast they grow up, and I'm finding that to be SOOO true. Sometimes, I wish I could just pause time for a little while and enjoy him as he is now. But Mighty Max is not to be stopped, he's eating MORE than ever, and is really getting better about sleeping at night....it seems like he sleeps through the night about 3 or 4 times a week.
We signed him up for swimming classes last week...I explained to him that the fact that I'm willing to get in a swimsuit at all, let alone in the middle of February, is a sure sign that he has me wrapped around his little finger. I'm hoping he enjoys it as much as he seems to enjoy "swimming" in the bathtub.
I'm so ready for spring, so Max and I can get outside...he really seemed to enjoy being outside in the Fall. We have at least a foot of snow on the ground, are supposed to get another 6-8" today...and another snowstorm is forecasted for this weekend. I don't know how much more of this we or our house can take!!
Well, that's our big news for today...
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FEB 16, 2010 - CORA'S STORY
Due to the snow, Bryan had to stay in Columbus last night, so I was playing around on the internet and came across Cora's Story and was so touched by Cora's mom and how she had turned such a tragedy into a legacy for her daughter. Her letters to her daughter are written so beautifully and are a great discription of the love a mom feels for her child. Like she mentions, it's a feeling that words simply can not justify. Daily, I realize how very, very, very blessed we are to have Max...so healthy and happy...and think of how easily he could be taken from us. I must spend hours throughout the day just staring at him and thinking about what a miracle and a gift he is to us (even as he sits in his "sassy swing" and is spitting at me!).
I just want more than anything in the world to be the best mom for him I can be...to teach him all the right lessons at the right time, to teach compassion and love and the importance of giving to others. Sometimes I wonder if I'm a good enough person to even be capable of being the mom he deserves. He deserves the best of everything...I just hope I have what it takes to give it to him.
Something that Cora's mom inspired me to do is to start a journal for Max, that he can read one day if he'd like to...so hopefully, he can see that Bryan and I are just people trying the hardest we can to be the best parents to him possible....but that we make mistakes and have doubts and second-guess our decisions. I think that sometimes "moms" and "dads" are held to a standard like "doctors" and "lawyers" of being super-human...and as my sister (who happens to be a doctor) mentioned to me this weekend...we're all just people. As much as it breaks my heart, I know there will be times when Max will "hate" me and think I'm the worst person on earth...but when it's all said and done, I hope he can read what I was also going through at the time and see that my actions, everything I do, are for him. It makes me realize too, that my parents are just people too, and I can only imagine how many times I must have broken their hearts. It hurts to know that you've hurt someone you love like that. Even knowing how much I love Max, though the word "love" doesn't begin to explain how I feel about him...makes me realize that when my mom told me that she loved me more than any one ever would...she was right. She wasn't trying to make me feel isolated, or like no one else would ever love me (which is what I use to think)...but that no one could ever possibly love me the way my mom does. Being a mom has shown me that.
Anyway, I know I've gone off on a tangent...too much time alone I guess. So to Cora and her mother, I thank them both for inspiring me (again) to cherish every moment with my beautiful boy...I feel so very, very sorry for their loss...I will try my hardest every day to be the very best mom I can be. I hope Cora's mom has the chance to have another baby when she's ready, because she will obviously be an amazing mom.
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FEBRUARY 17, 2010 - A GRAY HAIR
February 17, 2010
I think I have some gray hair....hmmmm.
Max seems to be feeling better, he's been eating more like he usually does...he didn't sleep through the night last night...he was bright eyed and ready to rock n' roll around 2am last night...it took about 2 hours for him to fall asleep...but he slept until 7am for the first time this week....we take the victories where we can get them!
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MARCH 2, 2010 - SWIM CLASS
Tonight was our 3rd swimming class...I took him the first 2 times last week, and then Bryan took him tonight (and I went along to watch). Max isn't as into it as I thought he'd be, since he loves taking baths so much...I think he's a little overwhelmed by all the noise and new things to observe (he's very curious about everything). If I were to do it again, I'd probably wait until he was at least 9 months old...right now, he's the youngest in the class...all the others can stand on their own. It's still fun though - something new to do, a reason to get out of the house, and it seems to burn off some of his energy.
I was impressed that Max could keep track of me tonight, since I was on the other side of a class wall...but he'd make eye contact with me and smile throughout his class...that was a great feeling!
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MARCH 2, 2010 - 1ST OSU BASKETBALL GAME
Saturday, we took Max to his first sporting event....which happened to be an OSU Mens Basketball game...they were playing Michigan. We invited Bryan's family - dad, Jeff, Shonda, JD - to come along.
The game was a lot louder than I remembered them being...the music and band and fans and buzzers, but Max was WONDERFUL!!! He cries when he hears the vacuum, so I was expecting him to get upset a couple times, but he seemed to thouroughly enjoy himself. He even took a nap for about 25 minutes during the warm-up and 1st half. He danced and babbled and we let him sit by himself in his own seat...which he seemed to enjoy..especially being able to watch his older cousing, JD.
So maybe swimming isn't his sport...maybe it will be basketball? Although, he did get really excited when the cute little irish dancing group came out during halftime!!
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MARCH 10, 2010 - ANOTHER ONE
Bryan and I found out on Monday, 2/7, that we are going to have another baby...at least according to the hi-tech pee-on-a-stick method. It's a little unbelievable that it happened so quickly, because it took us about 5 months to get pregnant with Max. We're very excited that Max and his sibling will be so close in age...although having 2 babies under the age of 2 may be a little tricky at times. I'm also hoping that bringing in another family member will be less stressful for him than if he were older. I know that people have survived much worse. Max is going to be an awesome big brother!
I'm already feeling a little rough in the mornings...although it was the same with Max. I hope this baby is as wonderful and healthy and easy as Max has been (I'm probably cursing myself by saying that??). Estimated Due date is November 12, 2010...perfect month for a baby...not too hot, not too cold...and I won't be 9 months pregant in July!!
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APRIL 5, 2010 - ITS BEEN A WHILE
Its been a while since Ive had a chance to update Maxs journal. First of all, max broke the apostrophe key when he was pounding on the keyboard a couple days ago, so youll see that those are missing from my punctuation. So, the reason Ive been a neglectful journal-keeper is because weve had a lot going on around here! Bryan got really sick last weekend and had to have his gall bladder removed on Weds, so now he cant pick up Max or anything else thats over 15 pounds for the next 4-6 weeks. Also, we listed our house for sale on Friday, had a pseudo-open house on Saturday, and yesterday was Easter (went to Grandma Ruths).
In the meantime, our little man is growing and changing daily. Hes still not crawling, but he is trying to pull himself up to stand. Hes made it to his knees. Hes also said his FIRST WORD - Dada. Its so freaking cute. He loves to clap now too...hes been doing that for about 2 weeks or so....youd think he was reciting the alphabet at 8 mos, not clapping, but hes our genious baby! Actually, the other day, I asked him if he could clap (without showing him what I was talking about) and he did it twice.
Hes just starting to eat solids again, he went on strike for about a month...so thats a relief. Right now, hes cuddling with his daddy in bed...this is the latest hes ever slept, but yesterday was a long day.
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MAY 25, 2010 - HE'S CRAWLING
So Max is mobile....very, very mobile. He's been scooting on his belly ala army style since he was about 9 months old, but has recently moved to all fours in the past week. He's also very adept at pulling himself up to a stand. I've been thinking a helmet might be a good idea. He's also getting his 2 top teeth...for a couple weeks now...there's a gap between them, just like I had pre-braces...so in addition to his college fund, a braces fund is certainly going to be a must!
Baby #2 seems to be healthy so far...my last appointment was last week, and it was measuring correctly and heartbeat was good. We find out what "it" is in a month. My guess right now...girl. I have no preference, although, for it's sanity and well-being, I'm hoping he's a boy or she's a very tough girl because Max seems to be a bruiser. Yesterday, he tormented Nolan, the 2 year old I watch...all day!
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