Father's Day!

Max and Dad on Father's Day

A Genuine Max Meltdown

So I was going to update yesterday, but Maximus decided he did not want to take naps. Father's Day was wonderful! We woke up and made Jared breakfast...it was yummy. At church they did pie for the dads, luckily they had way too much so we got to eat some too. We got Jared a video game for Playstation 3 - MetalGearSolid3 (or something to that effect). He really likes the game. In the evening we went to Cesar and Lindy's for tostadas. I rode in the back seat on the way home to keep Max awake. If he falls asleep in the car then he will be up for hours. We had a lovely Father's Day - we are so grateful for Jared and all he does to provide, lead and protect our family. I love watching him with Max; it just melts my heart. Now that Max is crawling, I love it when Jared comes home and Max crawls over to Jared's feet, ready to be picked up and played with.

Max and Dad Eating Strawberries

On Saturday we went over to Jared's boss' house for a pool party/bbq. I was very nice. Max enjoyed the pool as the water was warmer than Sedona. Brett came over for a few days last week. We had a fun time with him. He went with Max and I on a walk with some moms from our playgroup. The other mom's children absolutely loved Brett...he has mad skills so I understand completely. Mimi and Brett are going to watch Max this weekend while Jared and I go to Monterey, hopefully he will behave himself for them. Here is a video I took last week of Max whining but then becoming distracted by his magical hands.

Back to the grind

I've been meaning to update, but I've been feeling lazy. Sedona was a blast! It was a little overwhelming at first, because I was used to all of Jared's help in the evenings. But after a few days I got the hang of it. Max did well flying there and back, no tantrums, just a lot of busyness. He was always moving, standing on my lap, looking out the window, looking behind us. On the way there we hit a little turbulence and he laughed...I felt sick and just tried to keep myself from throwing up (don't worry, everything stayed down). The one hour flight was long enough for me, kudos to those who fly international with youngins (Linds).

We went hiking to Devil's Bridge on Sunday. It was like a million degrees out or maybe it was 90 degrees; same diff, right? Hayley and I were the only ones who made it across the bridge. Max threw up on Shane like three times that day. Oh we also went swimming, a first for Max. He was not a fan of the cold water.

The rest of the week was fabulous. We hiked Oak Creek Canyon on Moday. Went to Jerome, Montezuma's Castle and Well on Tues. And finished with slide rock on Wed. All the while Max chilled in his Ergo. I still love the Ergo;,best investment yet! Max decided he like to eat big people food on the trip like fries, cantaloupe and ice cream. I must say the ice cream was a bad idea, I have created a monster. Whenever Jared or I are eating it he whines and screams until he gets some and then he's like a baby bird. We have to keep his mouth filled with it to get him to be quiet. Here is the link to see the Sedona pics: http://s281.photobucket.com/albums/kk231/rachony/Sedona%202008/

Another thing Max encountered on the trip were cats. Max loves him some kitty cats. He would crawl all over trying to get Tucker and get totally excited and spazy when he got close. We flew back on Fri. afternoon. We had a great trip and loved spending time with family; although, we both missed Jared very much. Max was very excited to see him at the airport. We've just been trying to get back into the swing of things. Brett is going to come over Wed-Fri and we are happy to have him stay with us. Max is still a busy body, he is crawling everywhere and is starting to use his walker.

Btw I found these really cute blankets called Woobees that you can tie onto your carrier/stroller/car seat. I'm thinking of getting one. Has anyone ever heard of them?

Sedona here we come!

SO... we were going to take a family vacation to Sedona. Unfortunately, Jared has to work. Max and I were still planning on driving up on Sunday anyway because my dad, Hayley, etc. are going to be there. It is a 6 hour drive...yuck! But lucky me I have a wonderful husband! Jared was worried about us and suggested Max and I fly instead. I just booked our flights and we leave tomorrow night. Now I have to make a mad dash to gather and pack everything. I am kind of nervous, this will be Max's first airplane ride. Wish us luck!

He's crawling away with my heart

Hello all! Last week was so crazy. My birthday was fabulous. Thank you everyone for the calls of good wishes. Jared and I had a lovely dinner at this nice little Italian place not far from our house, Ciao Bella. Maggie watched Max so it was a child free meal, a nice change of pace. I had lobster ravioli, it was very yummy. Max gave me a fabulous present by sleeping well that night.

But the rest of the week was awful, as far as his sleeping went. He had a little cold and woke up multiple times during each night, screaming and then needing to be rocked back to sleep. It peaked on Friday night when he woke up every sleep cycle, literally every 45 minutes...it was exhausting. Luckily I have a wonderful husband who took the 12am-3:30am and the 8am-12pm shifts. Thank goodness his sleep pattern has returned to normal for the past two nights. I was seriously considering Ferberizing him.

The latter part of last week was so beautiful. It rained multiple days. On Thursday I went walking with my friend and her little boy. It was raining so we loaded them on our backs, grabbed our umbrellas, and hoofed it in the rain. Let me just say the ergo baby carrier is amazing I get so much use out of it. While we were walking Max fell asleep so I used the hood to keep his head from flopping around.

On Monday we had family over, it was still chilly out and since we're not allowed to use a BBQ (apartment policy) Jared made and grilled delicious burgers. Mom and Brett brought me an amazing present...a left-handed guitar. I am so excited and can't wait to learn to make beautiful music...I know it's going to take a while and at first it will just be cacophony. I think I will look into taking lessons at the community college or maybe Parks and Rec.

I forgot the most exciting news. On Sunday Max crawled for his first time. He only did one little crawl at a time, but today he's been going two at a time. He is getting very mobile and we really need to baby proof the apartment. Here is a picture of Max from yesterday. He is debuting the stylish leisure suit that Doug's family gave him. Go Eagles!!

Sickly, Sickly

So it appears as though Max has come down with some sort of bug. He has a really nasty cough, but other than that appears to be in good spirits. His shots went well last week, he was a little sore on Thurs. but was fine on Friday. He has developed a sleeping pattern that I love. Goes to bed between 7 and 8 pm wakes up between 6:30 and 7:30 am. Sleep is glorious! The only problem is getting him to sleep. I am still feeding/rocking/walking him until he falls asleep. He won't fall asleep by himself and I'm too much of a weenie to let him "cry it out" Any suggestions?

This weekend was great we went to Torrance on Saturday. My mom watched Max and Jared, Shane, Cousin Mike, Maggie and I went and saw the new Narnia movie. It was very enjoyable. Then we dropped Max off at Grandpa Bob's and went to see "Guys and Dolls". Brett is the Stage Manager and the production was great! Brett rocks at the arts! After the play we went back to Bob's and he cut Max's hair. Max was not such a fan. He is a silly kid; he doesn't like anyone touching his head, hair or ears. Here is a picture of the baby torture.

We had sharing time on Sunday. It went well. Our class is comprised of the Valiants 11 and 12. It is a large class we regularly get 10-12 kids a week. They are good kids but have some discipline issues so we are going to sit them boy-girl next week (hopefully this will help).

I got the Ergo Carrier and Baby Signing Time DVD in the mail this week. I am hoping Max will learn to sign so we can better understand what he wants. He really like to watch the babies on the video. But what I am most excited about is the carrier. I am sad that I didn't have it when Max was an infant. It is so comfy for the both of us. It comes with an instructional dvd and I watched it and practiced with Max yesterday, he was very patient with me. It is so easy to use and to switch from front to back to hip with the child in the carrier (it shows you how in the video). I used it today around the house first I had him in front and then I rotated him to the back when I did the dishes. I also love that he is seated in the carrier and not hanging by his crotch. My neck and back are relieved that I will be retiring the Baby Bjorn.

Well tomorrow is my birthday, no exciting plans but we are going to mom's group at Citrus State Park...if Max isn't sick. I love my little man and would like to leave you all with this pic...isn't he the cutest?

I hate shots!

Today Max got his 6 month vaccinations...not fun. I just hate it; he is all happy and unsuspecting and then BAM! She hits him with the first one, but it's not until the second one goes in that he realizes what is happening. Then he lets out a blood curdling scream, he scrunches up his face as it turns beet red. Then his eyes fixate on me and it is at that moment I feel like the worst parent on Earth. Here is my little boy in pain looking at me like, "Why are you just staring at me?!? This lady is coming at me with needles and ramming them into my legs! Help me!" As soon as she is done I pick him up and he stops crying, I feel somewhat comforted as I sit down to feed him a bottle. I wonder what Max is really thinking when the nurse is using him like a pin cushion. I hope it fades from his memory quick as I am already having a hard time getting points with the little fellow.

Max's personality continues to blossom. He becomes more like a little boy and less like a baby each day. Yesterday as I was sitting on the ground against the couch playing with him, he turned to me and put his arms around my neck. (For those of you who don't know Max he is not a cuddly child...he is too busy to cuddle.) I was so excited! Finally my little baby wanted to cuddle with me. I then felt him grab something off the couch; it was my cell phone. He was not vying for some motherly love, just trying to grab my cell phone off the couch behind me.

So Max is not a fan of the fruits. We tried bananas this morning for breakfast. After his first bite he started crying and continued to whine until I switched to carrots. I will try to get a video at some point it was pretty funny. Oh I ordered this really cool, ergonomically designed carrier for Max. It is called the Ergo; I bought it off of www.myfavoritebabycarrier.com because they have a 90 day money back guarantee. It is supposed to be comfortable for you and the baby, I have a friend who uses it for her 3 year old daughter. You can wear it in the front, side, or back. Anyways, I am very excited about it. I hope I get it before we go to Sedona. Max is now 29 1/2 inches long and 19.5 lbs. He is a tank and in the Baby Bjorn he puts to much stress on my neck and back.

A Max Update

So it has been a while since the last Max update. Max and I took a road trip with Kelly and Brett to Utah to see Hayley graduate. It was very fun and we had a great time with all the family. Unfortunately, Jared could not go with us he had to work...boohoo. Max did really well until the last day. On Sunday we drove home from St. George to Riverside. Max threw up the entire contents of his stomach in both Las Vegas and Barstow. We had to stop and make costume changes but surprisingly he was a happy camper. I've enclosed a link to photos of the trip.

We had a great Mother's Day. Jared woke up with Max and made me breakfast. Jared and I watched "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" while Max napped. It was a lovely day. And to top it off Max slept from 9:30 pm until 7:30 am this morning...uninterrupted sleep is fabulous.

Not much going on this week except for some playgroup activities and a trip to the doctor. Max gets his 6 month shots, he's going to be a grump. We are excited to go see Brett's play, "Guys and Dolls" on Saturday. And on Sunday we have sharing time in primary. Oh yeah, Jared and I are team teaching the Valiant 11 and 12 class. Jared taught the lesson yesterday and did an amazing job. Well that's all for now. Here is the link to the Utah pics http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=37170&l=e6fd9&id=516042063