Max is 7 months!!!

Oh Max,

I've been called out. I hung out with 2 of the 4 readers of this blog and was told that, yes, I officially suck at updating.

My new goal is to post at least once a week. If nothing else than just to share pictures, I'm going to do it because I want YOU to have these memories when you get older.

What a month it has been... biggest news of all, you were finally able to have your circumcision surgery. While I'm sure you won't appreciate me discussing your man parts online, it was a big deal!!! You had to go under general anesthesia and did GREAT. I had a few moments of worry/scare but overall I knew you'd do well and you did! It was so sad seeing you in recovery... your Daddy and I have never heard you cry like you did. I wish I could have taken all the pain, but alas, I could not. Luckily you got your first 'taste' of narcotics and were able to sleep through a bit of the initial pain. And aside from some tenderness at diaper changes, you are no worse for the wear. My little champion!

I hate that hospital cribs look like a jail :-<

This month you have been on the 'move' in the best way possible... still 'stationary', but figuring out you can move around! You love rolling all over and spinning on your belly... funny story, I had put you in your bouncy when I went to the bathroom quickly. Not 2 minutes later I come out to find you have wiggled your way out and were now on your tummy a good two feet away. I never heard a clunk or cry... how did you do that?!?! The first of many surprises yet to come I'm sure.

Rolling around at Jenny Ike's Baby Shower

You had your second sleepover with Mimi and Grampa and wouldn't you know it, you slept through the night. What a joker!!! You are getting better about sleeping at home, but you full-on slept from 8:15-6:15 and then went back down after a quick feed and short play.

Snoozing with Gigi. Nice pants kid :)

You've been eating like a champ, trying some new combination of food almost every day. Your favorite dishes usually include some kind of meat (chicken and turkey are your faves I think) and a vegetable. You like fruit, but I think prefer your veggies. We have kept away from rice cereal as you still tend to be constipated more than not (I know, more private details one may wonder why I'm sharing online), but have been doing better since we started giving you a bit of juice and prunes more often. And though you have not master it by any means, you have been enjoying your juice in a sippy cup!!! I can't believe you are old enough to start using a cup. Gah.

 

We celebrated your Auntie Lauren and (Almost) Uncle Nick's engagement as well as Mommy and Daddy's 4th Anniversary! I tried to look back to see if I was wrong, but that night (the 23rd) was the first time you had a babysitter that WASN'T family! You love Lindsay Eder so very much, and she absolutely adores you; it wasn't too hard to leave you :) Emma was here too, so you just had a blast!

With Auntie Lauren, Uncle Nick and Nick's sister Katie (your Auntie-in-Law I guess? :)

At the end of the month you "helped" Mommy put on your first CYT show (that I was on the Directing team for)... Peter Pan with CYT DuPage. You LOVED all of your new friends and actually loved watching the show... you are a little performer in the making I'm quite sure!

Yes, I did paint a pirate mustache on you. And yes, I'm wearing "Fairy" make-up.

And now on to March... hopefully Spring will continue to peep it's head... you LOVE being outside and I can't wait until we can enjoy walks and days at the park.

We love you SO, SO MUCH Max!!!

Love,
Mama

6 months

My dearest Max,

I've decided to cut myself some slack on posting a letter to you ON your month birthday... why does it matter, I suppose?

I'm sort of in denial that you are already 6 months old. I've heard the next 6 months go by even faster than the first. That makes my want to cry. Though I love each stage you've gone through, and I know there is so much more I can't even imagine that will bring such joy, I find myself mourning each day because that day with you is over. Never again will we get to live August 4th, 2010... December 25th, 2010... and now February 4th, 2011- you as the sweetest 6 month old I've ever met in my life, and I have moments of deep maternal sadness as I just want to keep you in my arms forever.

I've realized, now more than ever, that with great joy comes great fear- the more we have, the more we have to lose. Yet I would not trade a second with you for anything on Earth or in Heaven. I know, as you grow, there will be painful moments, tender moments, angry moments; though I wish it weren't so, I know we will both probably say things we don't mean, slam doors when we frustrate each other, or be impatient when we should be slow to judge or anger.

Yet I also know there will be many more moments of sweetness, of pride and of LOVE. Max, I will NEVER STOP LOVING YOU. There is nothing you could EVER do to make your Daddy or I stop loving and fighting for you. You are our greatest joy, our sweetest downfall, and the best gift we've ever been given.

I often look at you in amazement and wonder what on Earth I did to deserve you. I say to God, "You mean I get to borrow him from You? You trust me enough to care for him?" It is both a great honor and a terrifying undertaking that I/we've been given you.

I know this little note is a bit "deep', but I just want you to know how DEEPLY we love you and treasure you.

My parents (Mimi and Grampa) used to say this to me all the time, and now I say it to you every night before you go to sleep: "Mommy loves you; Daddy loves you; and Jesus loves you most of all. And there is NOTHING you could EVER do to make any of us stop loving you." Never have I understood more the fierceness with which a mother loves, and never have your Daddy and I loved something so small so very much.

So while I mourn that these first 6 months are over, I DELIGHT in all that is yet to come. You, Max, are the best thing that's ever happened to us.

Jumpin'

Sorta long, but cute :)

Another video... I'm obsessed.

Ok so now that I know how to really use iMovie, I'm going a little crazy.
Here is my newest video...
Meal Time.

A little video just for Maxers..

Max is 5 months and dang it, I'm writing him a letter!

My precious sweet Maxers,

As I said before, I recognize I didn't write you a letter at 4 months, but man did we have a good time. It was your first Holiday season, and it's never been more special or magical now that we have you. You sat in your big boy high chair for the first time on Thanksgiving, tried rice cereal and some vegetables, spent the night at Gigi and Papa's on Christmas Eve, and attended your Great-Grandma Norma's Memorial service.

You still aren't sleeping through the night, much to my dismay. I just can't do the whole cry-it-out thing... but we have started a process of weaning you off nighttime feedings by slowly reducing the time I feed you. We're off the 11pm feeding: sometimes you wake up but we can easily gt you back to sleep with a soft pet of your head and a reinsertion of your paci :) We're still working on the 3/4am feed, but even after than you'll stay asleep until about 7:30/8am.

This month you had your first real infection that caused us to visit the Immediate Care center not once but twice. The fist visit was on the 19th and you were diagnosed with a right ear infection and upper respiratory infection. We reluctantly put your on an antibiotic for a few days and thankfully your ear cleared up. But on the night of Christmas, you started screaming like I've never heard you scream and were pulling on your right ear again. So we were back to the Immediate Care where they said your ears looked great (whew!) so you were probably working on a tooth. We have yet to see this elusive tooth that's supposedly been working its way out for the past month... you are still cute nonetheless :)

We spent some time with friends who have a little buddy of yours who is just about 8 weeks younger than you. Never before have I mourned your "littleness" than on our most recent visit. Eli is the size I picture you as being, but seeing you next to him made both your Daddy and I realize what a big boy you're becoming! And while I'm sure I'll look back at pictures of you when you were 5 months old and think you were just so small, it's just kind of sinking in that you will never ever be little again.

But I digress- every day is a new discovery for you, and new skill mastered or one starting to develop. Your smile in contagious and so easily appears, especially at your Daddy. You need only hear his voice and your face just lights up. You think he is probably the funniest person alive, though your Grampa is a close second :)

We have so many funny nicknames for your- Maxasaurus Rex, Tyrannosaurus Max, Maxers, Maxaronni, Mr. Baby, Bubbas, and my personal favorite, the Tiny Human. It's all in love of course, but I am interested to see what sticks.

What a fun month we've had... I can't wait to see what you'll surprise us with next!

Love,
Mama

Where oh where have I been...

Every time I would go online I'd see my blog (it's our homepage) and think, "I need to update this."

Then I'd say I'd do it later.

Then the task became quite daunting, so I kept putting it off.

Now I don't even know where to start.

Timeline? I think so...


12.2.10
4 month check-up
15.2lbs, 25", 43cm head (50th% for all three!)

12.6.10

Tries rice cereal and LOVES it!

12.9.10

Eli Lilly flew me to Texas to interview for a pharma sales position. Though the interview went really well, I found out on my birthday (:-/) that they ended up needing to honor some transfers so I did not get the job. While it was a huge disappointment, I'm still so grateful I have the best job in the world- Max's Mama and Ben's wife!

12.12.10

Tries squash

12.14.10

Athena's 2nd Birthday :)

12.16.10

My 28th birthday

I got a glider for Max's room!!! My Mom and I had lunch & got mani/pedis, and then Ben and I went to the Gold Class Cinema at the Arboretum... I don't think I will ever be able to watch a movie like a normal person again.

12.17.10

Tries peas

12.19.10

Tries sweet potatoes

First visit to Immediate Care with fever- diagnosed with upper respiratory and ear infection. Weighed in at 15lbs 9 oz :)

12.22.10

Made Christmas cookies with Mimi, Uncle Ryan and Grampa

12.23.10

Tries prunes

12.24.10

Christmas service at church

Annual Christmas Eve part at Gigi and Papa's house

Spent the night at Gigi and Papa's for Christmas

12.25.10

First Christmas!

Later that night, we were back to Immediate Care with what I thought was ear pain- thankfully his ears were actually looking great so it was most likely acute teething. Call me a crazy first-time Mom, but when my baby is screaming like he's never screamed before and pulling like crazy at the ear that had the infection, I'm gonna take my him to get checked out.

 Still a sweetie at the Immediate Care Center!

12.27.10

Slept from 7pm-3:30am then 4am-7:30am!!!

12.29.10

Drove up to Milwaukee for Great-Grandma Norma's Memorial Service

Met Grampa Poling's whole side of the family!

 Car ride to WI

 Dinner at PF Chang's

My handsome guys

 First time in a big kid high chair! He slid around a lot, but it was cute for the few minutes we had him in it.

 Kinda over the high-chair

But back to his happy self once Daddy started making faces :)

And that about sums up December! I'm looking forward to actually doing something tomorrow night for New Year's Eve as last year I was SO sick from being pregnant we just stayed in. Additionally, I fully intend to update more

I also want to note, for Max's sake, I'm aware I did not write his 4 month letter. Sweetie, your 4th month was awesome and I love you.
The End.

:)