A Crawling Christmas

Here comes the baby!

Max Visits Santa Claus

One Last Monthly Post

Today Max is 11 months old. That means in one more month, he'll be a year! (my math skills are pretty good, right?) Everyone says time goes so fast with babies, but I really can't believe I'm going to have a one year old in a month! Max happened to be at the doctor today - he has his first ear infection and RSV to go with it - so we know that he weighs 21.5 pounds. He is scooting around pretty well now, but mostly backwards, and he's starting to get pretty frustrated when he can't get where he wants. When he does go forward, his crawl consists of about three steps - he gets up on his knees, then pushes in with his toes and gets his knees off the ground, then kind of moves his feet forward and then goes back to his knees or stomach (wait I think that's 4 steps!). It's a bit of a process so I can understand his frustration! Much of the time, he would rather be standing. He likes to stand up by his crib or the coffee table and walk around them. Max has also discovered doors. He scoots over to his closet doors and swings them back and forth if they're open a little. When he was on the floor in the kitchen the other day, he figured out that he could open the cabinets. He waves at everyone now and starts doing it as soon as he hears "bye". Oh yeah, and still no teeth! At the doctor's office today, they said they could see them right at the surface, but I'm pretty sure that's what they said at his 9 month appointment.

Can't wait to celebrate one year!

Snow!

It snowed yesterday - Houston's earliest snow ever! I think we got at least a couple of inches, and it was beautiful coming down. It fell almost all day, and this morning there was even still a little left on the ground. I wish it would snow like that (or maybe a little more) every weekend from December to maybe February. Not enough to cause any problems, just enough to play in! Of course, I know it wouldn't be as exciting as it is now if it happened all the time.

Thanksgiving

We spent Thanksgiving with Matt's family. Max enjoyed Thanksgiving dinner - he ate turkey, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, green beans, broccoli cheese and rice casserole, and maybe a little taste of pie.

Max was having a bottle, and Caitlyn decided she should join him.

We also had fun the day after Thanksgiving spending time with Matt's grandma and aunt and uncle and their 4 year old twin girls. Max is going to have a lot of fun with all of the kids when he gets a little older. Malley is very into babies right now, so she wanted to help feed Max.

Catching Up

Way back in October, we were away for a couple weekends and I never did post about our trips. First we went to Waco for Baylor Homecoming. We had fun seeing some old college friends and enjoying the homecoming traditions. We did not have fun watching the football game, but then, we're used to that. We went to the bonfire Friday night and to the parade and game on Saturday.

On Halloween weekend, we went camping with friends at Inks Lake near Austin. It was a little chilly Friday night.



But we snuggled up and kept warm



We hung out around the campfire, hiked around the campground, and found a fun little winery down the road with free wine tastings.

Since it was Halloween, Max wore his costume.


We had fun and can't wait for another camping weekend!

10 months

Max is now 10 months old and celebrated that milestone by falling off the couch and getting his first bruise. Considering that he hit his head on the coffee table and then fell to the ground, it doesn't look bad at all - actually I tried to take a picture and it didn't even show up!

I just looked back at the 9 month post and not too much has changed. (looking back at my posts also made me realize that I haven't done as many "monthly" posts as I thought!) Still no teeth, still not crawling. He is getting more mobile, wiggling when he's on his stomach, going backwards, and scooting when he's sitting up.

Max just started to wave this week. But when Matt or I wave at him, he won't wave back - he shakes his head at us instead. It's pretty funny!

He's really starting to understand his toys. This morning he was playing with a dinosaur that has holes to put balls in. Then they roll down the dinosaurs neck or tail or come out the middle. He would put the ball in and then look for it where it was supposed to come out. The balls also got stuck a few times, and he figured out that he could reach in the hole and push them. At the bottom of one of the chutes is a door, and the balls don't always come out, so he also figured out how to lift up the door to get the balls out.

Happy 10 months Max! I can't believe you're almost 1!

Hats for kids with cancer

So because I'm slightly obsessed with blogs, I read about people who I don't know at all. This is a blog I read almost every day. I really can't even remember where I found it, but she's so funny and very real. Anyway, September was Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month, and MckMama is organizing a hat drive for kids with cancer. You can read her post here for all the details but basically she's just asking people to donate (new) hats to local children's hospitals or mail them to her, and she'll donate them to one near her. There's information in her post about Etsy sites that are donating a hat for every hat they sell as well as some stories about kids with cancer and other projects that people have started.

I just wanted to put this out there for the 5 people who read my blog. Her post really touched me, and we’re so blessed to have a healthy baby – it’s nice to be able to do something like this for those who need it.

Nine months!?!

I can't believe this baby is 9 months old already. (Am I a bad mom if I thought Friday was his 9 month birthday when actually it was Thursday?)

Max at 9 months

He has the greatest personality. He loves to smile at random people, and we get so many comments about how cute he is. He's recently started making this funny scrunched up smiley face that really makes us laugh. And he's already starting to realize that he can make us laugh!

He has strong legs. He loves to stand and can almost balance by himself. One of his favorite things to do is stand by the coffee table and hit the top of it and of course grab anything in reach. Crawling...not so much.

No teeth! But he can sure gum those Cheerios. We've starting giving him more chunky food and he loves to pick it up, very precisely between that little finger and thumb. Unless there's a lot in front of him and then it's his whole fist.

He recently started giving kisses...oh those slobbery open-mouth smooches right on the cheek...or sometimes nose.

He sleeps so well. We put him down around 7:30, leave the room, and rarely hear anything until about 7 a.m. Okay, I made that up...it's usually about 5:30, but he's good at entertaining himself until 6. My rule is no babies out of the crib before 6. We are thankful for a good sleeper!

He's a talker! Along with lots of other babbling, he says "dada", and we think he's actually starting to mean it. He also really likes to "bark" at the dogs next door when he hears them.

He loves to go outside. If he's fussy, which isn't too often, we can usually fix it by going out on the patio or walking to the mailbox.

Happy 9 Months Baby! Only 3 more and you'll be a year old!

Pumpkin Patch

Max got to hang out with his cousins this weekend. We went to Conner's t-ball game Saturday morning and then to a pumpkin patch. We've gone there with them the past few years, and I've been looking forward to taking Max. We picked out a few pumpkins (we didn't actually get to pick them this year because of the drought), went on a hay ride, and watched pig races. Max had fun looking at everything and watching Conner and Caitlyn. Caitlyn loves to give him hugs, and he's starting to hug her back. We're glad Max has cousins nearby. It was a fun fall day!

Fascinated by the pumpkin stem

It's hard to get a good picture of a 5 year old, 1 year old, and almost 9 month old!

There's a new sheriff in town

Favorite Things

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens

Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favorite things

Max's version would be more like this
bath books, work bench, musical table toy, Jumparoo,
beach ball, singing octopus, Exersaucer
These are a few of his favorite things

Sic 'Em Bears

Football season is here! (So fall is just around the corner, right?) We're excited about our Bears this year...planning for a bowl game. Hope I didn't just jinx it! Max got his first taste of college football, and I think he liked it.

I'm so ready!

Watching with dad

Okay so maybe he wasn't that excited


Thanks Jeremy and Lindsay for letting us use your living room and TV. Max enjoyed the floor, and we did NOT leave the dirty diaper under your bed like Matt suggested.

Average

Despite a quick start last month, I only managed to blog my average again. 2 per month. I can't seem to rise above it. I'm sure I could make that it into some kind of great metaphor, but....

I'm back to work now. Only 3 days a week, and 2 of those days, the school I'm working at is a 3 minute commute. Yep, 3 minutes. Maybe 4-5 depending on traffic. It's a big change from 30 minutes, especially with the additional 30 minutes that picking up Max added on last spring. Technically, it does take me longer to get home when I pick him up, but not nearly an hour! So far, being back to work has been fine. Being able to work part-time is a blessing. It's Thursday, but it feels like Friday. I don't have a huge number of kids to see. It's a big change from my previous job simply because this school district is so much smaller. I like the schools I'm at so far. I hope I continue to like the elementary because I'd love to stay there until Max is in school and just take him there too. Of course, that won't be anytime soon but I'm just thinking ahead.

He's awake from his nap and talking in his crib. I don't have any new pictures downloaded to the computer, so you'll just have to deal with my ramblings today. Just trying to keep up my average!

Lazy Summer

We had a picnic at Oyster Creek park last weekend. We were planning a date night but that didn't work out, so we decided to get free KFC grilled chicken and take Max to the park for the first time. The weather was nice (as nice as it can be for an August evening in Houston), and Max liked watching the people walk by and looking at the trees. We ate, sat for a while on our blanket, and then walked around the lake. It was really nice to spend time together, outside, with nothing to do or think about.

We've been spending other lazy summer evenings, when it's almost bedtime and Max is getting tired, but it's too early to put him to bed, in our backyard swing. He likes the change of scenery and sits contentedly until we reach that magic bedtime hour.

Two Outfits

This is Max wearing the outfit that Matt wore home from the hospital when he was born. I think it's pretty funny that I didn't take this picture until Max was 6 months old and the outfit still fits.

This one was my dad's when he was a baby. It's really thin - maybe they wore shirts underneath?

6 Months

First Astros Game



More like 6 1/2 months...but close enough! We are thankful for a happy healthy 6 month old. Max had a great check-up (well, other than the shots). He weighs 16 lbs and is 25 3/4 inches tall. He's such a happy baby. He smiles at everyone and loves to talk to them too. He definitely keeps us entertained. He sits by himself now but still doesn't like to be on his stomach for very long and only rolls over when he feels like it. Otherwise he just gets mad and waits for somebody to pick him up or roll him over. Max is also a great sleeper, at least at night. We've had nights when he's slept from 8 pm to 7 am. Typically he goes to bed a little after 8 and gets up about 6. Naps are a different story. He's just started clapping, and he will entertain himself in his exersaucer for 15-20 minutes. He loves that thing! Max has also started eating Cheerios. After he discovered how to chew them, he really like it. He uses his whole hand to try to pick them up but isn't too successful, and even when he gets some in there, he doesn't realize it. I am already starting to dread going back to work in August. I think it's going to be harder than going back after my maternity leave. At least I'll only be working 3 days a week - that doesn't sound so bad!

Who's that cute baby?

4th of July

The Boy Likes to Eat!

Max has been eating some solid foods for almost 2 months. Avocado is one of his favorites, but no matter what he eats, he says "mmm" through the whole meal. He definitely enjoys the experience and lets us know! Hopefully you can hear him - might have to turn up the volume!

Indiana

We decided to use our vacation money to go see Ellen in Indiana. She's leaving there by the end of the summer, and we thought it would be a good opportunity for her to see Max again. We also got to see my aunt and uncle, cousin, and grandma while we were there. I was a little nervous about Max and the airplane, but he was great. We took his car seat in hopes that there would be empty seats on the plane, and there were on all but one flight. On the way there, we didn't have to change planes but we stopped in Dallas and Kansas City. The only time Max woke up was while we were waiting in Dallas. He ate and promptly went back to sleep. He woke up happy when we landed in Indianapolis, and after he flirted with the flight attendant, she said he was the best baby she had ever seen on a plane. On the way back we were fine from Indy to Chicago, but Max had to sit on our laps from Chicago to Houston. He's really not a lap baby for that long, especially when he's tired. He would rather be in his own space when he's sleeping. We had a great visit with all the family. Max got to see his first (of many I'm sure) campfire and was mesmerized. We saw some of the IU campus, a covered bridge, went to the Bloomington farmer's market, and ate good food. It was a really fun trip and we're so glad we went!

Oh and we put pictures on our photo website - http://mattandemilye.shutterfly.com/

Bath Time

We're so glad bath time has gone from this

to this!

Pictures

I updated our picture site tonight. I'm not done but I added a lot! http://mattandemilye.shutterfly.com/

Happy Birthday!

Today is Max's 3 month birthday. I can't believe it! Of course, everyone says how fast it goes and now we understand. We took a day trip to Waco over the weekend for his first visit to Baylor. Max enjoyed the car ride - he slept the whole way there and almost the whole way back. It was nice just to get out of town and this is such a great time of year for a drive.
Max has seen his first soccer game and first t-ball game in the past few weeks. He also really got into the NIT tournament but was pretty disappointed that the Bears lost in the final. Hope the boy likes sports!
Max's newest skill is talking. He loves to sit on our laps and carry on conversations with us. I think laughing is next - we can't wait for that first one!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

A smile caught on camera!

Max has started smiling more and I finally got a picture. He's 2 months, 1 week now and is also making more sounds, trying to hit his toys, looking around at everything, and sleeping better. He had his 2 month check-up last week and weighed in at 9 lbs, 14 oz and 21 1/2 inches long. This week is spring break so I'm having fun staying home with him. We're having lunch with friends, visiting cousins, and hanging out with Nanny and Great-Nanny. We also have exciting plans for yardwork this weekend - hopefully the weather will cooperate. I love spring break!

Max's Crush

Can a 2 month old be in love?

He thinks so.

At least he has good taste.