Howdy, Neighbor!

We had fun at the neighborhood BBQ that our housing development put on for everyone! Max is finally big enough to be "forward facing" in the Bjorn, so Daddy carried him up to the clubhouse that way (Thanks for the cute green outfit Jenny! And thank you to our Vaccaro-Palmer-Silverstein family for the "Max" hat!)
When we were leaving the BBQ, we took a quick family photo....

Another Month, Another Chair Pose

Every month on Max's "birthday" we take a picture of him on the same chair to see how big he's gotten......

Here he is at 3 months old:
And 2 months old....
And a month old....

This month, Max graciously shared the spotlight with a few friends...

Hey guys....just smile, like this, and my mommy will take the picture!
Ahhhhh, thanks for being such a pal Curious.....wanna take a nap?

Welcome To My Crib

Daddy worked REALLY hard on my room, and I wanted to share the finished product with all of you! He did all of this ALL BY HIMSELF....and he even used a nail gun and a big saw! Uncle Scottie came over to help him with the chair moulding.....Mommy took a deep breath of relief when they both walked out of my room without any nails through their hands!

Do you see my picture of Wrigley Field on the wall? Daddy says that's where his favorite team plays baseball, and that when I'm bigger he'll take me there.

Here's my bulletin board and my bookshelf. So far I have my birth announcement and Jack's birth announcement. Mommy is going to put Lev's up soon, and I'm saving three more spots....one for baby Nathan (WELCOME baby Nathan........Mommy will be posting more about your arrival soon!!!), one for Caleb's little brother or sister, who won't be here until February, and one for Tiffany's baby, who will be here soon!!! Don't worry guys, I'm keeping the board open for ya!
Here's my crib.....I totally sleep in here now, because I'm BIG!
Daddy painted this mural on my wall.....
Hah Hah....just kidding! They're decals....but they're cool, huh?! Check out my name hangin' out on the shelf....
Well folks, that's it for now. If you ever need someone to decorate YOUR pad, just call my dad!

Roll Me Away

You're not going to believe this....

Max celebrated his 3 month birthday today with an enormous milestone.....

It was 9:30 am and we were letting Daddy sleep in. Max was practicing tummy time on his blanket downstairs. He had lots of things to tell me, and he wanted to make sure that Butterfly was listening closely too. In case the video (above) wasn't enough, Max asked me to document everything with photos just in case anyone doubted Mommy's story....

Hey Butterfly! Pay close attention to what I'm about to do, OK? Seriously....keep your eyes on me....
Are you watching? Here I go!
Hey Mommy! Get this action shot!!
Oooof. That was kind of a rough landing.....
Ah, Butterfly? If I kick my legs like this, do you think I can get back up?
Seriously Dude. I'm stuck. Any ideas?
Whatever Man. We'll just chill here for a while. Or at least until Mommy picks me up so that she can watch me roll over AGAIN. Seriously Mom. I know I'm talented and all, but you've seen this show five times now. Can I just rest here for a while??

Three Months Old!

Dear Max,

Happy three month birthday my beautiful boy! You've been celebrating this big milestone by doing some very big boy things....

Two nights ago, you had a bottle around 9pm and then slept until 4 am. Last night you had a bottle at 7 pm, fell asleep at 7:45, and then woke up at 2:45 am to have your next bottle! That's almost 8 hours between bottles, and 7 hours of sleep in a row! That's pretty impressive, especially since we took you out for sushi from 8-9 last night while you were asleep! Then you woke up again at 7 am, and I just gave you another bottle.

We were rocking in the rocking chair together around 7:30 am, when you nuzzled your little head underneath my neck. I looked down at you, and you gave me the biggest smile, nuzzled into me some more, and fell asleep. You are such an affectionate baby....you grab our hands to hold them when we're feeding you. You wrap one arm around my neck when I'm holding you against my chest. You give us a big bright smile when we walk into the room as you wake up.

You're also starting to use your hands so much more. Your tight little baby fists have opened up to busy little boy hands. Your fingers are wide open and exploring, and you like to grab anything you can find. Mommy's hair, Daddy's shirt, the burp cloth that you are leaning on, and even your toys! You're starting to reach out and grab toys, and bring things toward your mouth. After I saw how you responded to the colorful scarves and toys at music class last week, I brought out a sheer blue scarf for you to play with at home. You quickly became very busy holding it, tasting it, and feeling it between your fingers.

Daddy helped you to grab the ring that was above your bouncy seat, and you held on tight! The picture is a little hard to decipher, but that's you behind those toys, holding on for dear life! You can see your little hand gripping the red toy...

The only problem was, you couldn't figure out how to let go....so you got a little upset! That's ok....we're still working on concepts like cause and effect....and "release"!

The other day you were such a big helper when I was changing your diaper.....you grabbed your onesie and lifted it up for me! Unfortunately, by the time I could grab my camera you had lowered your little shirt already (you had pulled it up to your chest all by yourself!), but you can still get the idea from these pictures....

Little Max, every day is a new adventure with you. Daddy and I love to cover you with kisses and listen to you babble to us. We love watching you explore and watching you grow and change every day.

What a happy, happy three months this has been my son!!

Love,

Mommy

Tummy Time Part 2

Hi Everyone! Mommy finally figured out how to help me prop my arms so that I can really catch some air during tummy time! Who knew that I could lift my head up so high? For some stupid reason, Mommy thought she was being helpful by putting my arms out to the side...and then she couldn't figure out why I spent so much time on my face! She's a rookie, that Mommy! Good thing she finally helped me to move my arms in front of me! Now I can chill out with elephant on my blanket....

And even practice reaching for him......

Mommy LOVES how I look like such a big boy when I'm in this pose!

I know, I know....I am SO damn cute!

I've got this tummy thing down, don't I??!

Whooooah!!! Maybe not! Mommy laughed pretty hard when I fell over, but if I had just had a little more momentum, this would've been a ROLL over. Yeah, take that people! I didn't just eat it, I was practicing rolling over! Duh!
Ummm......Mommy? Can you help a boy out here?????

La La La!

Max had his first music class with Mommy yesterday! There's nothing like a room full of 14 other babies, all babbling and "singing" along with a VERY energetic teacher! Max and Mommy both learned some very interesting things at music....like:

1. Three month old babies need a little time to get used to this "music class" thing. We were sitting next to our new friend Baby M., and her Mommy and Daddy. Baby M is only one day older than Max, and they were the two youngest in the class. Many of the other babies were sitting up, crawling around, or standing. Which meant that they could easily make NOISE with all of the instruments! Drums, bells, and maraca shakers definitely took Max and Baby M by surprise at first. Suddenly Baby M started to wail, and poor little Max took one look at the baby chaos around him (13 crawling, cooing, toy-throwing, instrument-playing babies and one screaming baby sitting right next to us, plus a big smiley teacher with exaggerated gestures and a very happy singing voice) and he completely turned his body away from the class and attempted to bury his little face in my shoulder. All of a sudden it became VERY clear that I was learning an important mommy lesson....as I looked down and saw his little bottom lip stick WAY out and start to tremble. I had never seen this reaction from him before! Poor baby was scared and totally overstimulated! Immediately Baby M's mommy and I said to each other "I think they're a little young for this class!". I brought Max in close to me, and turned him around so that he could only see me and not the rest of the class. I was ready to stand up and walk away from the noise, but he slowly started to calm down. I kept him really close to me, and I could see him relax and start to explore with his eyes. I sang softly in his ear, and when he started to move his arms and legs with excitement, I turned him around and sat him in my lap. He even gave the music teacher a big smile when she walked by, singing and banging her music sticks together. Pretty soon, Max was laying on his blanket in front of me, looking around at all of the commotion.

2. There are lots of ways to introduce Max to different textures and sounds. He LOVED the song with the scarves, and grabbed at the scarf each time I brought it close to him. He got very quiet as the scarf brushed his face, and smiled as it tickled his arms. He even held on tight to the bell that we had, and helped me to shake it along with the music. I was so proud of him! We played with cotton ball "clouds" and felt how soft they were against his feet, his cheek, his fingers. And we learned so many new songs that we can sing at home.

3. Max's music teacher is one cool chick. She paid close attention to the names of all of the babies, and sang different songs using everyone's name! At the beginning of class, she goes around the room and asks each Mommy to introduce their baby and say how old they are. For instance, "Hi, I'm Kim, and this is Max. He'll be three months old on Saturday". Then the entire class responds "Yay Max!" and claps for him! You can imagine how funny this is when it happens 15 times....it's like a baby AA meeting...."Hi Max!"

4. Music is a very popular class. So popular in fact, that they now have THREE classes on one day, because it's such a hit. Apparently they turned away 9 mommies from one class last week because it was too full. What does that mean? Well, we had to get there about an hour early to sign in and reserve our spot. Even then there was only one spot left in the parking lot. As we were arriving and unloading the stroller from the car, other mommies were frantically unloading their babies and yelling to each other...."I can't talk now, I have to go sign in for music class!" There I was, trying to get Max's stroller situated as fast as possible so that I could race the other mommies to the door to make sure that we'd have a place on the list! It's a tough world out there.....I even went in and threw our blanket down to reserve a spot on the floor before I headed out to grab a quick lunch at Starbucks!

5. Mommy is a show-off. Max has been doing so well with tummy time, that I wanted to give him a chance to see Music class from that perspective. Once he had calmed down and was feeling more comfortable, I put him on his tummy so that he could have a good look around. And maybe to show everyone else how advanced he is....he heh he!

We will definitely be returning to music class next week! I think Max might like a tambourine or a drum instead of those darn bells though!

Tummy Time Part 1

You better watch out Mr. Elephant....I'm comin' for you! I may not be able to move now, but you just wait! Don't make another move Elephant Man....I can kick your butt in a staring contest any day!

Yeah, that's what I thought Elephant! Scaredy Cat!

Bakesale Betty

Hey everybody....it's me, Max! My mom usually gets to write everything for me, but not today!

So check this out....

Before I was born.....well, WAY before I was born....my Mommy and Daddy got married at this cool place in Napa. And at their wedding, they had lots of special treats for all of their friends and family. They were so excited to give everyone a sweet cookie surprise at the end of the night, especially because it was from one of their favorite hidden places....Bakesale Betty in Oakland. I'm totally not old enough to know if this is true or not, but I've heard that her cookies are pretty fierce. And her banana bread is to die for. Mommy and Daddy shared both of those treats with everyone at their wedding, and Betty herself has a special place in their hearts (not only does she give things out for free to all her customers, but she made hundreds of cookies for their wedding and packaged them all in pretty bags with pink ribbon. Why? Because my mommy really likes pink. Good thing I was born a Max and not a Madalyn, or I'd be DROWNING in pink right now....blech!) Anyway....obviously I take after my mommy because right now I am on a total tangent....

SO, today we headed to this place called Berkeley (where Daddy says the crazy people live, and Mommy just rolls her eyes at him) to fix The Great Sofa Debacle of 2009. On the way there, we got to go to Bakesale Betty because we were finally in the area. They have these killer chicken sandwiches there, and Betty has quite a cult following at lunch time. I have no idea what "cult following" means, but we waited in line for a long time, and then we ate on the sidewalk while sitting on stools and leaning over ironing boards. Well, Mommy and Daddy did. I hung out in my stroller and enjoyed the cool breeze. I live in Dublin, so I'm not used to cool breezes like that. Again.....digressing.

Well, after my Mommy and Daddy ordered one of each kind of cookie, a scone, two fried chicken sandwiches, a strawberry shortcake, a Diet Pepsi and a Frozen Lemonade (I hope they don't mind me telling you this!) I finally got to meet Betty herself!
I guess the blue hair helps her to make so many delicious treats. Maybe when I'm older I'll be able to taste a few cookies for myself! I'm thinkin' chocolate chip may just be my all-time favorite.....or maybe Betty's famous ginger snap!

12 Weeks Old!

Max is 12 weeks old today, and he is doing so many new things!

• Max is a total stud when it comes to tummy time. He can prop himself up on his arms and hold his head up high. Sometimes he likes to just lay there on his face and put his fist in his mouth, but when he's feeling brave he can definitely prop himself up and look out at the world.




Max is drinking anywhere from 3.5 to 5 ounces at a time. He usually tops out at a total of around 27 ounces each day. We had to start thinking about buying bigger bottles, which makes me REALLY sad. He's too little for big bottles! Here's a comparison (yes, one has formula in it, and one just has water....it hasn't been mixed up yet...it's just for show)
Max loves to smile and laugh.....at us, at his toys, at the light coming through the window. He definitely recognizes us and responds when we talk to him. He babbles and makes lots of different noises. He giggles at us and has three hundred different types of smiles.

He gives the most beautiful "Good Morning" smiles when we come into his room as he wakes up each morning.....because yes,






He is sleeping in his big boy crib now! Max was getting too big for the Co-Sleeper....every night he would turn himself diagonally until he was touching either side of the darn thing. So we put him in his crib, and he happily streeeeetches out and gives a little wiggle, then settles in for a comfy sleep. He still does the 7-9 am shift in the swing in our room, but that's more for Mommy and Daddy's sake! We've been actually "putting him to bed" after his evening feeding (apparently babies are supposed to have their own bedtime...who knew?) and he's doing so well! Most of the time we rock him gently for just a few minutes and put him down in his crib. He talks to himself for a while, listens to his Sleep Sheep, and then drifts off. He still doesn't sleep through the night, because he's a hungry guy and can't seem to fill up his belly enough before bedtime, but...


He is sleeping for longer periods of time at night. He can usually go 4-5 hours each stretch, and surprised us once with 8 hours between feedings. It hasn't happened since, which is probably good because we were so scared that something was wrong with him that we woke him up.


Max's naps and daytime schedule are getting a little more predictable. He will usually take a 45 -90 minute nap after his first morning feeding (just long enough for Mommy to shower and get ready if she moves really fast). He usually goes about 3 hours between feedings during the day, and is getting better at afternoon naps (especially if he's in the car seat, stroller, or our arms).


Max's movements are becoming less reflexive and more purposeful. He is reaching toward toys, grabbing things, and putting them in his mouth. He's exploring the world with his tongue and likes to slobber on your shoulder when you hold him up. He'll taste burp rags, toys, your sweater....and will make a face to let you know if it was delicious or not. He will "hold" us when we pick him up, with an arm around our shoulder. Sometimes he will reach for our hand when we're next to him, or will put his hand on our arm to help push the bottle into his mouth when we're feeding him. Sometimes he even puts both hands on either side of the bottle, to "help" us!

Max totally knows what's going on around him. He stops crying when he sees his bottle. He wiggles and squirms when he's about to go onto the changing table. He arches his back and straightens his feet when he's headed for his car seat and he doesn't want to go in.


His favorite toys are his friends Turtle and Butterfly. He can inch toward them during tummy time if we let him push off on our hands. He loves looking at lights and shadows, and loves to watch Mommy and Daddy and track us as we walk in and out of rooms.

This little guy, our beautiful son, is truly the light of our lives. He is a joy to love, a bright spot of sunshine every minute of every day, and the ultimate blessing. He is so FUN, so alert and aware, so interactive, and so darn cute! We can't wait to see what all of his tomorrows will bring!

Gotcha!

Even the neighbors have their lights off and shades drawn this early in the morning. It's still dark out, and Max and I are sitting in the recliner in the nursery. He's snuggled against me drinking a bottle at 4:20 am. He drank the entire 4 ounces. Changed his diaper and turned off the light. Rocked him for a few minutes until his body went limp and his breathing slowed. Put him gently in his crib. It's pitch black, and I sit quietly in the recliner as he rustles around in his crib. I can hear his legs kicking against the sheet, and the sound of his arms stretching over his head. He makes a contented little groaning noise as he stretches, and then settles into peaceful quiet. The room is still. His breathing is soft and you can barely hear each breath. I sit in the recliner until I am sure that he is completely asleep, and then tiptoe over to the crib to check on him. The room is quiet, he is completely still, and I lean over him to look at his little face. His eyes are closed......and then all of a sudden...



HAH HAH HAH HAH HAH!!!!



Max laughs out loud, opens his eyes, and gives me a chuckle! I jump back from the crib, heart pounding, not sure whether I should laugh or pee my pants. I'm so scared by the exorcist baby that is now in Max's crib, that I slowly walk back to the recliner and sit down. After listening to him breathe for a few minutes, I walk out of the nursery and back to the bedroom. Did I imagine this? Nope....it is 5 am, and my 3 month old baby just laughed his ass off at me!

Thumbs Suck!

There I was, changing Max's diaper....and I look up, and he's found his thumb! Not only that, but he has the cute "curl the fingers over the nose" pose!!

What The Cool Kids Wear