Thanksgiving Highlights

We had a great Thanksgiving in So. Cal visiting with family and friends. For a few, it was the first time they've seen Max in person. There was no shortage of love.

Max's First Christmas

We've just about finished our Christmas decorations and I'm happy to share my favorite tree ornament....




We're so excited for this Christmas with Max. He has his own little stocking
on the fireplace.
He has no idea about Santa yet, but he loves looking at the Christmas lights and listening to Christmas tunes (I heard him singing).

Sedona

We took our first family trip to Sedona for the day. I finally got to wear Max in his new ergo carrier, which was perfect to hike up the trails. That carrier is fantastic!
He was all smiles in mama and dada's arms.

Black and White Maxter

Some black and white photos from a couple of weeks ago.

Halloweenie Pt. 2

Here's a little slideshow of Max's Halloween. He passed out by the time the sun went down, so no trick or treating until next year. Terry and I threw our costumes together in 5 minutes...which is to say that we really just threw some wigs on.

Halloweenie Pt. 1

Max's to-do list for today:

* go to pumpkin patch
* get into costume and pose for pictures
* watch momma make pumpkin cupcakes
* listen to dada read Max's Halloween book
* sweet dreams

Our little Halloween display. Holidays will be so much more fun now with a baby! We can start new traditions too.
Terry likes to make his "grumpy pumpkin" drink (basically a pumpkin milkshake)...we did like to read Edgar Allen Poe, but the book is buried somewhere in the garage...maybe next year. For now, we read Max's Halloween (from Nana).

Lunch with the Ladies Man

Max likes to flirt with pretty chicks. And he can get them to smile, coo, walk, bounce, and basically do whatever to keep him happy.

Today we had a nice lunch with a couple of my friends from school...while Max drooled, smiled, talked, and fussed (only a little).
Max says "thanks Angela and Raquel for holding me while momma ate...let's do it again!"

Monkey See

I finally ordered Max's costume for Halloween...and yes, he will be a monkey. I really wanted to go for him being a little elephant, but it just didn't translate well into a costume at his size.

This is not the costume, however, it's just a great outfit he got from his Nana last week.

Don't know if Terry and I will dress up, but we did have the idea to dress Max up as the Edge from U2, complete with beanie cap and guitar...I would be Bono (don't ask) and Terry would be Larry Mullin Jr.
Maybe next year...I will have to ask Max.

Inspired

I love this picture! What a little ham. He is such a delight and changing daily.

I am in awe of his:

* ten fingers and ten toes
* smiles and laughter
* strong hands and strong cries
* unique personality and soul

It was this week a year ago that I found out I was pregnant. Having Max has inspired me in many ways.

He has inspired me to be a better person:

* don't sweat the small stuff
* be in the moment, enjoy the journey
* patience, patience, patience
* treasure life, it is a precious gift
* don't complain, be grateful
* if I can actually take care of (and love so deeply) another human being, what can't I do?

I am honored to be called momma.

My Name is Max...

I like:

* mommy holding me, rocking me, singing to me, playing with me, tickling me, washing me, feeding me, loving me
* long car rides with all green lights
* anything that jiggles me
* talking really, really loud at 4 in the morning
* sucking on my hands
* drooling
* bathtime
* and dada...he's pretty cool too


I don't like:

* when mommy and dada leave the room
* blow dryers turned on high
* red lights
* taking naps

Bumbo!

Max finally has the head control to sit in his Bumbo...yay! Still a little wobbly, but I've been waiting for this day for a long time :)

Giggles

Max laughs when his friend, stuffed doggy, kisses him. Until now, he only laughed in his sleep.

12 Weeks of Love

The "4th" trimester for Max is over, yay! Max is 12 weeks old now. Today was a big day as we went for a nice walk at an outdoor mall and he was totally calm. The weather was gorgeous. This wasn't possible until now because:
- it was always over 100 degrees outside
- he couldn't hold his big head up to sit facing out in his sling
- he fussed unless being bounced or jiggled or anything remotely recreating the womb environment
I love carrying him around in his sling pouch! So many people smiled as they walked by...

To Paci or Not to Paci

Max doesn't know what to think about his pacifier. The longest he's kept it in his mouth is oh, around two minutes...but he averages about thirty seconds before spitting it out.




He then proceeds to swing his clinched fist into his mouth. He prefers fingers and hands. Hopefully he'll grow to like it as he gets older, and get better at sucking his own hands.

We Are Family...

A few family pics, taken a couple of weeks ago. Max already looks different.

Big Boy

Holy smokes!
Max's 2 month (at 10 weeks) check-up results are in:
15 pounds 10 ounces
25.5 inches
His doctor said he's "off the charts" for his age...and as big as a 4 month old. No wonder he has a hard time holding up his big noggin'. He's healthy. Oh, and I won the weight bet with Terry...

P.S. A very HAPPY 40th ANNIVERSARY to Nana and Da!

Cheeky

Max is all cheeks. His eye color is starting to lighten...looks like they're heading towards a beautiful blue, like his dad's. The pictures don't show his eye color very well though.

Fashionable Max

For playtime, the skull & crossbones onesie


Sporty meets asian mod

And lastly...for quiet evenings in, try the swaddle

iMax

Max loves Macs! Here he is on ichat webcam with Grandpa Mike and Grandma Barbara in Atlanta. Thank goodness for webcams.....we feel closer to loved ones that are far away.

Toys

who's the monkey?

i have a monkey this big!


that was a good joke


goofy elephant


furry elephant

New Bouncer Chair

Max is slowly being weaned off the exercise ball and wants to sit up more...so I bought him this colorful chair. He hasn't quite figured out that he can reach for the hanging toys, although he did take a couple of swipes at the cow. He is working really hard at getting his hand in his mouth and holding it up in front of his face.

7 Weeks Old Yesterday

Hard to believe that Max is nearly two months old! He's been changing so fast and I hear it doesn't slow down.
Take a look at how much bigger he is in his carseat. The first pic was taken when he was 2 weeks old, and the 2nd pic taken at 6 1/2 weeks.


(2nd pic taken by Uncle Matt)



He loves his "num num" (breastmilk) and it shows. He's getting fat rolls and dimples. He seems to be a morning person as he talks and smiles the most in the AM. Can't wait to see how big he is at his two month check-up. Anyone want to guess what his two month weight will be??

Max Power Bounce!

Max says "Thanks uncky Matt and cousin Eden!"
What would Terry and I do without our big exercise ball?? Absolutely nothing works like it to calm Max down in an instant..we've even traveled with it in our car (fully inflated) with odd looks from other drivers. Max racks up the frequent flyer points on the ball while mom and dad have a happy baby.


Speaking of frequent flyer points on the ball....a very special thanks to my auntie J'aime for all the help wih Max last week. J'aime was a marathon bouncer with Max! Plus Terry and I got our first "date" night while J'aime bounced away.

On another note, happy belated birthday (2 years old) to Max's cousin Landon! Here's a great (and somewhat surreal) picture of Landon at the aquarium. Look closely at the two massive crabs behind him...they're huge!


Max's favorite toy of the moment is his gloworm from Landon.

Dad's homage...

Max isn't the only one with toys....Terry has a new HD handicam. More videos to come from mom and dad for sure!