Goodbye to Apartment Living

I went back to the apartment to drop off the keys and ensure the cleaning lady did a good job cleaning up the apartment.

It was weird seeing it so empty.  Max instantly knew where we were going and was so excited and happy when we started walking down the hallway to the apartment.  I felt a little bad for him - he's in a new foreign environment at the house and he was so happy to be back to "home" - the only place he's lived.

While it's nice being in our house, I will miss some things about apartment living - the convenience of not having responsibility to maintain anything, no yard to take care of, the pool that was steps away, small space = less space to clean, don't have to worry about what day is trash day, I felt safe knowing that it was a gated building, could open the windows without worrying about safety (we were on the third floor), our dishwasher was awesome and we never pre-rinsed our dishes, watching the pool furniture get blown into the pool during big storms, hearing/watching the fireworks go off at the ballpark a couple blocks away, the park next door along with all the retail stores we could walk to, the fun community activities like bunco night (I won some money off rent!), I loved the big granite island with the pendant lighting.

What I won't miss - stressing about being too loud for the people below us (the lady complained twice when we had the kids over...I was the bigger person and took her cupcakes and explained that you can't keep a 4 year old from jumping and running), having it take 5 minutes to drive through the parking garage, get out of the car, and walk through the halls to our door, feeling like we couldn't invite people over because it was a small space, having our storage unit on a different floor so not being able to verify daily that we hadn't had our storage unit broken into again, having to meet pizza delivery guys at the entrance to the building because they didn't want to mess with trying to find our apartment, having to go to a mail room to get my mail, hearing my laundry going because the washer/dryer was just behind some doors in the dining room, the CRAZY loud fire alarms going off in the winter when pipes freeze and burst or during regular tests, the crappy carpet, the flat electric cook top, a fridge w/o water and ice in the door.

The brand new fireplace by the pool (of course they don't finish it until we move out)

We loved sitting in the couches and chairs in the background.

The pool

Our apartment is the middle set of windows, 3rd floor up.

Little Max in a big open space.

Woo hoo!!!!!  Momma let me hold her keys!

The front of the building

The side of the building

11 months old!!!

Handsome boy in his sweater vest

Stretching up sooooo high

Max really enjoys playing with cars/trucks

I made Parsnip, Pear, and Fig puree.  I have never before even touched a fig and had to google how to prepare them.  I saw them at Costco and remembered there was a baby food recipe that called for figs and decided to get them.  They are a weird fruit!  I personally didn't love this recipe and neither did Max.  I had to mix it with yogurt most of the time to get him to eat it.  I am kinda glad he didn't love it because it means I don't have to deal with fig again - I think they are a little creepy.

Max turned 11 months old on July 19, 2012.  I can't believe we are only one month away from him being a year old!!!  (I have to really get serious about planning a birthday party for him.   CRAZY)

The birthday boy playing with his bath toys in the bathroom and also seeing what he can pull out of the drawers.

"Are you talking to me?"

We did a little "I'm now 11 months old" photoshoot...

Drooling so much he created a bubble - - man, when will the drool stop?!

My new camera is awesome but sometimes it captures too much detail (like the drop of drool on his chin that is in so many pictures)

Video - Max playing with the remote

The daily game of pulling down as many DVDs and video tapes as possible (especially right after Momma cleans them back up).

All about Max at 11 months old...

• Max is still nursing (usually at lunch and then early morning) and then I pump 3 times a day on workdays.  He doesn't ever want to stop once he starts.  He has really turned into a wiggly nurser, it gets frustrating for me when he doesn't hold still and squirms all around.
• Max usually goes to bed between 7:30 and 8:00 pm
• He enjoys bath time
• He doesn't mind me taking showers anymore (what a welcome change - - it was awful to have him screaming and crying in the bathroom while I showered.  It sure made for super short showers.)
• Our bedtime routine goes like this - put Max in his PJs, give him his vitamins, then brush his teeth, read a couple books, swaddle him up, give him kisses, turn off the light, sing to him and rock him and then lay him down.  He usually stays down and goes right to sleep when I walk out of the room.
• His naps during weekends are hard though - he fights going to sleep and if he eventually falls asleep, it's not for long.
• For a few couple weeks he was doing great and would sleep until 5 am however lately he's been getting up once around 3-4 (sometime Peter can get him back to bed and the other times I nurse him) and then gets up again around 5-6 am.  At which point I nurse him and let him stay in our bed until it's time to get up and get ready.
• He likes playing with his stand up toy, basketball hoop, balls on the tile, and loves pushing toys, chairs, his stroller and anything else that he can around the tile and carpet
• He likes banging on toilet seat lid and trying to flush it (usually taking advantage of when I am in the shower and can't get to him in time to stop him). 
• He is a pro at pulling drawers open and opening cabinets.  I haven't completely baby proofed so we have to keep a close eye on him.  I don't want to go to all the effort to move everything only to have to pack up in a month to move.  So for the next month, we will make sure we watch Max closely.
• Max wiggles on the changing pad so much.  Getting diapers on and getting him dressed is tricky.
• He likes Kindermusik class although lately less willing to sit on my lap and wants to crawl around.
• He wakes Peter and I up by blowing raspberries on us over and over and over.
• He is sooo sweet and reaches out to touch us while he's sleeping.
• He sleeps all positions but mainly on his belly with bum up or on back with one arm out touching something.
• He says "Mama"  "Dada" "Hi' and "Duck" - it sounds like "duh" though
• He is becoming a fun playmate and will play catch with you, chase you around, or crawl away when you crawl after him
• Maxwell is a good eater and finally has the sippy cup down (tilting it, tilting his head back, etc.)
• He will go get one of his books and "read" it on his own.
• He likes swimming/splashing.
• He is walking along everything, very quick at crawling, going everywhere, pulling up on stuff, and his curiosity is growing.
• As mentioned above, he is still drooling everywhere
• He loves being sung to - I sing to him when putting him in his car seat, while we are in the car, on changing table, at bedtime, and during play time.  Thanks to Kindermusik I have a whole variety of songs to sing that he recognizes.
• He is a happy boy.  He does get whiny sometimes but not really grumpy.
• He loves his dad and his dad's computer
• He is fun to talk to on the phone.  He babbles and gets excited when he talks to someone on the phone.  He gets even more excited if it's a voice that he recognizes.
• He loves his cousins, Hayden and Landen, and always gives smiles for them.
• He doesn't like it if you eat and he isn't eating at the same time.
• He is still shy around other people and doesn't let them hold him.
• The best time to hear him babbling and talking is in the car, especially in the morning (he is still a morning person)
• He has started making other noises as well, for example he growls, makes car noises, and also makes panting noises.

We sure love Max, love our life with him, love our little family, and love his little personality that is developing.  There is no way that it feels like it's been 11 months though since he was born!

Four Months Old

My sweet baby turned 4 months old on Dec 19th!

Waking up happy

Here's a video to document the special day.

And another video so you can enjoy listening to him.

He's great at holding his head up and does really well with tummy time on the Boppy pillow.

His half grin

 He had his 4 month check up with the doctor right on his birthday.  We were put in the same beach room as his first visit to the doctor.

My chunky monkey - interested in my necklace

He's happy at this point...

Look at those rolls! (not mine)

Once he figured out that the paper on the table made noise, he started kicking up a storm.

Here's an after picture of his poor legs with the band aids from his shots.  He ended up being in a lot of pain that night and cried anytime his legs touched anything or were in certain positions.  It was awful to hear him scream like that and not be able to do anything about it.  It wasn't this bad last time and I hope next time is better than this.

Here's his stats:
Weight: 14 lbs 3 oz, 36th percentile
Height: 23.25 inches, 3rd percentile
Head: 41.5 cm, 30th percentile

He's my chunky, SHORT, baby.  :)  Hopefully this doesn't indicate that he got my height.  I am hoping for a serious growth spurt to hit sometime.  His doctor wasn't concerned though.  She said he's healthy and it's okay.  I asked her about his head and if it was too flat on the back.  She took a look and said that she wished she could take a picture and show it to other parents as an example of how good their baby's head could look.  I was glad to hear that because I've been focused on making sure he doesn't spend too much time on his back and end up with a flat head (Peter would never forgive me if our son was one of those poor kids that had to wear a helmet to help their head form correctly).  That's my boy - a shining example for others!

His doctor said that he's almost big enough to start on solid foods - we'll know he's ready when his sleep habits change at night and he sleeps for shorter amounts of time.  That hasn't happened yet, but when it does, I'm not going to give him food.  I am pretty committed to waiting until he is 6 months old.  I've read about too many studies that show the importance of exclusively breastfeeding until your baby is 6 months old.  I know that other parents have started before that, and I don't judge them.  But for me, I'm going to wait until 6 months.  At this point, we are doing good - Max hadn't had any food or formula, just breastmilk.  YEAH!

Here's some of Max's likes at 4 months old:
his dad
computer screens
looking at the TV
Christmas tree lights
listening to himself talk
blowing out of his diapers
cooing at the toys on his play mat
being naked
getting his diaper changed
waking up in the morning
standing up
being sung to or hummed at
baths
his white noise machine
the swing at Brittany's house
being swaddled when he sleeps
he likes falling asleep on our bed with me next to him and his face touching my head - it seems to be the only way I can get him to sleep anymore so I do it and then move him to his pack-n-play in our room once he's asleep  (Peter can still get him to sleep by holding him and swaying with him)
being a part of the action - sitting on some one's lap while everyone is eating
being held upright
sitting in his poop chair - this is the bouncy seat that we leave in our bathroom so I can put him in it while showering.  It's got lights and plays music while vibrating.  I call it his "poop chair" because nearly every time he's in it, he poops
holding onto mommy's clothes while nursing

Some of Max's dislikes:
tummy time
being in the car /car seat
clothes being pulled over his head
being left alone in a room
the Baby Bjorn (baby carrier) for the first 5 minutes
being rocked to sleep
going to sleep
going to sleep outside of his particular habit - this kid is super particular about how he wants to be put to sleep.  I swore that I wouldn't have that picky baby who would only go to sleep a certain way.  Unfortunately when mommy/daddy is tired, it's easier to just do what works and perpetuate the problem.
when hats cover his eyes

Max is 3 months old!

Max turned 3 months old on November 19th.  I can't believe Max is 3 months old already!

Here are some of Maxwell's likes and dislikes.

Likes:

• Eating
• "Running and Jumping" - a great thing Michelle Kenyon taught us that helps when Max is gassy.  Imagine pumping Max's legs like he is running and then when he "jumps", you put his feet together and push them up towards his belly button
• Smiling at faces
• Looking at ceiling fans
• Resting  his head on your face - he really likes going cheek to cheek
• Getting his diaper changed on his changing table and getting his diaper changed in general 
• Stretching after he wakes up, as soon as we let him loose from being swaddled
• His vitamin D drops
• First half of his baths
• Sleeping with mom in the morning
• Having something touching his face when he goes to sleep - your face, your arm, your hand, a pillow (only when supervised by mom and dad and then immediately removed after he goes to sleep)

• Dad putting him to sleep
• Holding onto a blanket
• White noise while sleeping
• Classical music
• Eating his hands



Here's Max chewing on his hands.  Notice he is wearing what we call his "naughty" pajamas.  He gets to wear these if he has had a tough day and been "naughty".

• Hanging with dad (he smiles and talks like crazy with dad)
• Standing up
• Looking at the TV, Computer, or Cell phone screen

Max checkin' out Dad's computer (sorry Peter, Max is too cute not to include this picture)

Things he doesn't like:

• Hats covering his eyes
• Clothes coming off over his head
• Tummy time
• Being cradled in your arms when he goes to sleep
• The car
• The process of being swaddled
• The end of baths (hair washing and getting out) 

Some of the things he does

• Rolls over every once in a while from front to back when he is on tummy time
• Grabs onto your clothes
• Sometimes he will actually sit calmly on your lap
• He sounds like he is talking when he cries, I call it his conversational cry
• Drools a lot!
• He still has a great pouty lip that he will bring out when he is really sad.  The boy knows how to work it!
• He is fantastic at holding his head and pushing up on tummy time.  This boy is strong!
• He is moving his arms and legs on purpose now