A month of updates

Wow this is long overdue! Now that Maxalynn isn't nursing as long, or as often, I don't have much time on the computer. Anyway, here's what's been happening over the last month...

The true teething has started. Her bottom two teeth have pushed thru and are nearly all the way in. She was not a happy camper during these times. How many more have to come in yet? Ugh!

Max is still loving her veggies. She isn't as big of a fan of fruit, but she's warming up to them. She has also had scrambled eggs with no allergic reaction. (we didn't think there would be since there is no family history of it) Max is also enjoying "Puffs". No, not the tissues, they are little snacks for babies. The only things we found so far that she does not like are bananas and avocado.

At eight months old, the scales are tipping at just over 16 pounds. I find it quite funny that some people say she's a big baby (even chunky) while others say she's tiny (one person jokingly said she was malnourished). The real kicker is when someone will give a certain opinion and then when they see her again a month later they state the opposite. Go figure. :-)

We are looking forward to our first Christmas with her.....more to come on that topic!

So many things to be thankful for

What a Thanksgiving week!

It all started with gorgeous weather. We spent most of Sunday in Granville enjoying a pre-Thanksgiving meal. It was sunny and nearly 70 degrees. We took advantage of the weather by going for a little walk and having a mini photo shoot. The dinner was amazing and Maxalynn was in such good spirits.

Mid-week brought a few tears. Maxalynn started pushing thru her 2 bottom teeth. They were just slivers, but painful none the less.

Gobble gobble! We hit the road on Thanksgiving day and headed up to Fremont. We made a quick stop at my dad's then had a feast at Dawn's. Maxalynn was quite a hit! The younger cousins (Mitch, Tate and Trent) made a huge fuss over her and kept taking turns holding her. Who would have thought pre-teen boys would be so excited to "play" with a baby! This day was extra special because she started saying DaDa. Sure, she may not actually associate the word with Alex, but it's a start. Although the weather was less than perfect for traveling, Maxalynn slept the whole way up and the whole way back.

To round out the week, we are heading to Lancaster on Saturday for a post-Thanksgiving celebration with Nichole and her family.

Thank you Lord for all the wonderful blessings you have given us. Each and every day is a gift.

Dedication

What an awesome day! It started with an amazing church service. Melanie Forsythe has an amazing gift when it comes to prayer and sharing the word of God. We were surrounded by family, friends and the Holy Spirit. We then had a delicious lunch at our house. Max's Nana (my mom) came down a few days early to help clean, cook and entertain Maxalynn. The entire experience was great. We are blessed to have so many people that love us.

Ba ba ba

Max started with the P sound. Everything out of her mouth was puh puh puh. Now she has added a new sound to her vocabulary - BA. We try to get her to say Dada or Mama but it hasn't worked yet. We will say it, she looks like she is concentrating really hard, she pushes her lips together and out comes Ba Ba Ba Ba. Close enough for now!

Date Night

Monday night was the first (of many) Daddy Daughter Date.

I had a MOPS meeting I wanted to attend so Alex was on his own.  He loaded Max into the car and the 2 of them headed to Granville.  I was "free" for almost 5 hours.  What the heck was I going to do??  Originally I planned on cleaning, laundry, etc.  You know, all that exciting stuff.  But then I decided to go shopping.  SHOPPING!  I spent an hour in Kohls.  Looking, trying things on, finding different stuff, trying those on.....all by myself.  Heavenly.  Then I headed off to MOPS.  By 9:00 I was back home and in my pjs.

Alex had a great time with Max.  She had squash for the first time and LOVED it.  The food couldn't be shoveled in fast enough.  He left a little later than planned, so Max was a little cranky for the return trip.  Alex got out of giving her a bath because she had one that afternoon.  (she NEEDED one, I will spare you the diaper details)

The first Daddy Daughter Date Night was a success and I see many more in the future!

Halloween

What a LONG weekend.

The festivities started Thursday evening. This was "beggars night" in Gahanna. We picked up a very cute bat costume and helped Max "fly" around the neighborhood. We didn't take her trick or treating per say, it was more like show and tell. We visited a handful of neighbors. At each stop we chatted, they oohed and ahhed over Max, and we just happened to get candy.

On Saturday, we "flew" over to Chip and Shana's house for a Halloween party. The bat costume didn't last too long because it was a bit warm. Chip's dad, Buzz, held Max while we ate. She had no problems, Buzz enjoyed it, but Charlie got a wee bit jealous. We had a good time, ate great food and talked with a variety of people.

Sunday we stayed home, but my family (mom, sister, niece, nephew) came down for a visit. We ate lunch, went for a walk, played games, made homemade pretzels and baked cookies. It was a short visit, but we made the most of every minute.

All in all it was a great weekend!

Baby time at library

Today Max and I headed to the library to participate in baby lap time. It was a short session filled with songs, movements, and a little bit of book reading. I think Max enjoyed it - she didn't cry at least! There were a lot of kids there. (at least 25!) The group is for ages 0-18 months. It looked like most of the kids were at least a year. The group is every Wednesday and I'm pretty sure we will attempt it again.

Mmmm carrots

Max was definitely fond of eating carrots for the first time. I'm hoping the next few times go just as well.

We are starting her on veggies first. We decided to hold off on fruit for a little while - no need to develop that sweet tooth any earlier that necessary!

New Doctor?

How do you know if you have found the right pediatrician? How many things do you "let slide" before trying to find a new one? We have had ups and downs with our current pediatrician but the office is convenient. We really want a pediatrician that's nearby, but there seems to be only a small handful of doctors in Gahanna. Below are our concerns, are we asking for too much out of the doctor?

He seems to be going thru the motions, but not really paying attention. It's almost like it's a scripted appointment. Look here, tap there, say this, etc.

He "misses" details that should be in her file. Recently we had some mishaps with the cereal she was eating. We called the office, the nurse helped us thru (after consulting a doctor) and she said all the info would be in the file for the doctors review. Granted, our doctor was out that week and a practice partner fielded the question, but the info would be there. My point here, is that during this week's appointment, he asked if she started food yet. I said yes and mentioned the problems she had. He shrugged it off and said ok. Personally, I would have thought he should have seen that info in her chart.

Another thing that started us off on the wrong foot was when the doctor showed no concern with Max's stomach problem when she was just a few weeks old. We ended up getting a second opinion. The 2nd doctor made a simple suggestion and we solved the problem immediately! I told our pediatrician the problem/solution and he said "oh, well that will do it". Seriously?!

We would love to switch to a friend of ours (from whom we got the 2nd opinion) but her practice is on the other side of town.

Any opinions? Thoughts? Are we just being silly? Are we expected to much?

6 months

Half way to a year! Max had her 6 month check-up and is doing well. She has slowed down a bit on growing. She weighs 14 lbs 10 oz and is in the 25%, which is down from the 35% she was at during her 4 month appointment. Her 25.75 inches puts her in the 50% which is down from 75%. She's tiny, but healthy. We are going to try "solid" food again this week. This should help kick start her growing.

Visiting

Today we did some visiting on the west side of town. Alex had a dentist appointment and Dr. Ford (and the staff) really wanted to see her. I have been going to Dr. Ford since before I met Alex, and he started going to her once we started dated. She's been thru a few big milestones with us so it only seemed right that she get to meet Miss Max. From there we went to our old veterinarian. Dr. Sue helped us thru a lot with Titan and we hadn't been back to her office since Max was born. Our final stop was to the old house, or at least next to it. Our neighbor, Deb, was thrilled to see us standing on her porch step. Max wasn't too thrilled with her yappy dogs but got over it quickly. All in all it was a good day. Maxalynn showed off her personality and won everybody over with her drooly grin.

Sleep little one

I need to keep reminding myself that Max is still very young and this first year is just a very short period of our lives. It has been very difficult the past month or so. About once a week we will get lucky and Max will only wake up once during the night. The rest of the week we live in reality, getting up 2 or 3 times per night. The other night, for example, she needed checked on at 11:00, 12:00, 1:00, 3:00 and 4:00. I guess the positive is that she did not wake up at 2:00 also. Most of the time we can get away with a quick check and she will be back to sleep in 5 minutes. Unfortunately it still requires us to get out of bed (...and climb the stairs, deal with the cats, get a drink of water, go to the bathroom...only to come back to a bed that has mysteriously shrunk because the other person has taken over the middle of it...) I know these days will soon pass and before we know it we will be waking up at 11:00, 12:00 and 1:00 to check to see if she made it home safely. I just hope there are a few good years of sleep between now and then.

Poor baby

Our poor little thing caught our cold. She's stuffed up and sneezing a lot. Last night was rough getting her to fall asleep. She wanted her pacifier but couldn't breathe with it in. She eventually fell asleep. She is still her cute self, but with a little extra cranky on the side.

Prayers needed

I have developed a terrible cold sore. Because Max is so cute and I simply want to eat her, I have been smooching on her (prior to the sore developing). After doing some research, I discovered that infants can get the virus before the blister even appears on "the host". The virus is passed from skin to skin, and it only takes 1 small kiss on the cheek to become infected. I have dealt with this terrible disease my entire life and I am praying Max hasn't contracted it already. I had no clue it could be spread prior to the blister appearing! I feel absolutely horrible about this situation. She may have the virus and not show symptoms for years (or ever), or she may develop a sore that will be extremely painful and potentially dangerous to the rest of her organs. This virus can be very dangerous for infants, in addition to causing problems the rest of her life. Please join me in praying that Max has not contracted the virus. Thank you.

Game of chase

Maxalynn is really starting to become fun. This weekend we discovered the game of "chase". Alex was holding her up to his shoulder so her head was looking behind him. The two of them started down the steps and I followed. I pretended to "get them" and Alex would move ahead just enough so they were out of reach. This continued down the stairs and thru out the first floor. Max was laughing so hard! She was cracking up! I then attempted to get it on video tape but couldn't quite capture the true excitement. We look forward to playing this game a lot more.

A little plugged up

So apparently Max likes cereal, but cereal does not like Max. Once she started to ingest the food, her "system" couldn't digest it properly and she became constipated. Poor little thing was in so much pain. I followed the nurse's instructions, and tried a few things. After giving Max a suppository, she finally "let it all go". She let it go up her back, down her leg, all over her front..... She felt so much better. We have been advised to hold off on the cereal until her system gets back to normal. At that point we can either try it again or wait until her 6 month check-up and talk to the doctor.

Sittin' purdy

 Guess who is starting to sit up on her own?!?




Max is getting much stronger. This past week she started sitting up for just a few seconds at a time. She is now sitting longer before falling over. She can stay vertical for quite a while with just the assistance of holding onto a finger. ***




Time is just flying and she is reaching her milestones quickly. Rolling over at 4 months, sitting up at 5 months, what's hiding around the corner for 6 months?


***CORRECTION:  These photos were taken on Sept. 27 and she remained sitting up for a few minutes.  Then she got bored.

Actual eating

We have been working with Max on eating cereal. Most of the times were spent simply making a mess and not really ingesting anything. Last night she actually ate it! Very little came back out of her mouth, she opened her mouth and went towards the spoon, and she even puckered up when it was gone. We are very pleased with how well she is doing. We will be sticking with the oatmeal for a few more weeks then moving on to bigger and better things....applesauce, bananas and peas! Yummmmmmm!

Little Miss Attitude

Someone is starting to get a little temper. Max is starting to realize what she likes and does not like, what she wants and does not want, and how she wants to do things. She is not quite able to get her point across and this makes her very mad. Sorry Alex, you might be stuck with 2 of us!

Time for a bumper

Every doctor, every book, every pamphlet, strongly recommends not having anything in the crib with a baby due to an increased risk of suffocation. This includes the ever cute and ever popular bumpers that go around the edge of the crib. I had a variety of thoughts when it came to purchasing, or not purchasing, one for Max's crib. Sure they looked cute, but that was about the only positive I could come up with at the time. There was the issue of suffocation if Max made her way over to it and shoved her face into the material. (lets face it, if you know Max, you KNOW that was a possibility) Then there was the restricted air flow thru the crib. (our crib thermometer already said it was 80 degrees every night!) We can't forget the adventurous little ones that like to climb bumpers and fall out of the crib. (luckily we aren't there yet) I could go on but the point is the negatives outweighed the positive, so we planned on not using one. The other night we ended up losing, not one, but TWO pacifiers over the edge and down the back side of the crib. (note to self: they are still stuck back there) Sure a bumper probably would have prevented that, but oh well. So I was still satisfied with not having an expensive piece of potentially dangerous material surrounding my baby girl while she slept. Things changed when I saw this..... she was at the opposite end of the crib, flipped over on her tummy, with her legs hanging out thru the slats. Call me paranoid, but I don't want her to get fussy, start flailing, and break a leg! So after some research, I found a great bumper that should satisfy our needs and eliminate the worries. It is made of a very fine mesh material that is completely breathable. So even if Max managed to completely smash her adorable little face into the bumper, she can still breath; it does not restrict airflow thru the crib; and it collapses with pressure so little feet cannot use it as a springboard out of the crib. Arms, legs and pacifiers will no longer be venturing outside of the crib. And to top it all off....it's green with polk-a-dots!

All thumbs

Maxalynn has discovered her thumbs. She doesn't necessarily use them in place of her pacifier, but she has been chewing on them a lot. She would be in heaven if she could master having her pacifier AND her thumb shoved in her mouth at the same time. Of course she "talks" with stuff in her mouth, so the thumb works better in that regard.

MOPS

Max and I attended our first MOPS meeting tonight. It's the Gahanna branch so it is located really close to our house. I'm not a fan of the meeting time, though. Monday nights from 6:30 - 9:00. First off, it's really hard for Alex to get home in time for me to head out without Max. Second, it's during our family time. I don't get to see Alex that much as it is...but I guess I need to keep in mind it's only one night a month. Alex had to work late so I had to take Max with me. She was a hit (of course). I had predetermined that I would only stay for an hour so. That way Alex and I could still have dinner together, he could see Max, and her bedtime routine wouldn't be compromised. Blah, blah, blah...where am I going with all this? I was hesitant about going to the meeting but am very glad I did. I am hoping to attend the next one without Max. I think there is potential for baby outings, adult interaction, and a much needed mini break for mom.

All alone in my big girl bed

Max started out sleeping in a pack-n-play located in our bedroom. Our original thinking was that Max would move upstairs to her own room after a month or so. This would give me plenty of time to heal and be ready to tackle our stairs. Well, one thing after another prevented me from "pushing her out of the nest". The biggest factor was that she was still waking up every few hours. Let's be honest, those extra few minutes I saved by having her just a few feet away were priceless. Once she was sleeping a longer stretch, we realized our vacation was just a few weeks away. Did we really want her to get used to her bed then have to switch back to the p-n-p for a week? So we held out a little longer. Then we discovered we had the wrong size screen door for her room. (we are using it to keep the cats out) Long story short, we finally moved her to her crib in her room last night. She went to sleep around 9:00 or so and slept till 6:30! I, on the other hand, was awake at 5:30 when she sneezed. I stared at the clock, then the monitor, back to the clock...anticipating her cry. Once she was clearly awake, Alex and I ventured up to her room. We found her completely turned around, at the opposite end of the crib, laying in a puddle. All in all, though, it was a very successful first night in her big girl room all alone.

Nap time? No way!

So for the last few weeks, Max has been having trouble napping. We have 2 days per week, maybe 3 if we are lucky, when she will take more than one nap. Most days her naps last 30 minutes or less, and she will usually only take 1. This makes for a very cranky baby (and mommy). Max is clearly tired but fights it every step of the way. I have resorted to just laying her in her crib and letting her be fussy in there. She will act the same way if I hold her so why not give my arms a break?


I typed the original posting while Max was eating. Wouldn't you know, she fell asleep. Yeah! I have been paranoid to move her. She has been napping for nearly 2 hours! So here she lies, across a pillow on my lap, snoozing away....dare I complain that my butt is numb?

Going the distance

As most people know, a baby's vision is poor at best when they are born. As time passes, the eyes mature, and eventually BAM, they can see. Max was playing on the floor the other and she could see Alex all the way upstairs in the loft. Obviously I have no idea how clear the entire image was, but she could definitely see enough to smile and laugh at daddy WAY up there.

First Food

We decided to try a "food" today. If you can even call baby oatmeal food. She looked so tiny in her highchair. She's been sitting in it for a while, but generally without the tray attached. We decided to go all out for this big event.

Camera - check. Spoon - check. Oatmeal - check. What's missing? Oh yes....the bib - check!

We didn't expect her to actually eat anything, we were really just trying to introduce her to the idea of eating. She did surprisingly well! We will try again in a few days. We thought we would start now so by the time her 6 month birthday rolled around she would be a pro.