Like Father, Like Son?

 

No. Post. Necessary. <3

It's all about the benjamin's....not!

On Tuesday, February 1st...Jake unfortunately lost his job.  Not for any reason other than a distressed housing market.  We were not surprised and felt that this day was going to come eventually, but we were shocked at the same time.  Ever had that feeling? 

I blog about this so we can look back and remember this day.  While sad or stressed or maybe tense...whatever adjective you want to use for us...it was actually a good day.  We have been on a path to learning that we are put on this earth to serve.....to serve our God, not our wallets.  I feel blessed that we were beginning to practice this through tithing, random acts, our own personal finances and more. 


God does indeed work in mysterious ways.  I am blessed with a husband that is trying to make our family a God-centered family everyday.  What an incredible leader of our family. We have our struggles, but at the end of everyday whether I am sad that I can't buy what I want, angry with someone, or frustrated by circumstance....I am grateful.  Everyday, I really am grateful.

Today, I share my gratitude:
- Grateful for my awesome God.
- Grateful for my faithful, loving, honorable and honest-to-his-core husband.
- Grateful for my son.....he is a constant light and joy.
- Grateful for my parents.....they are the only ones that love me unconditionally.
- Grateful for my sister.....she's my confidant, best friend and mentor.
- Grateful for my brother....he teaches me resiliance.
- Grateful for my in-laws and sister in law.....they show me acceptance and love.
- Grateful for my friends....they make me laugh, set me free, and show me compassion
- Grateful for my church, my job, my health, and so many other things.

I.AM.GRATEFUL. <3
   

Max is EIGHT months old!

February, 2011

Eight months......it has been eight months since we brought this child into this world.  Time has seriously just flown by!  I just had the realization that he is going to be one year old in four months...I know that seems dramatic, but it will be here before we know it.

Max's stats:

• He is 18.6 lbs!
• Max ate his first fruit cup (pears)
• He started shaking his head back and forth (so cute)
• He scoots around so fast....he almost looks like a monkey at times.  He will use his arms to prop his butt in the air and just relocate it from space to space.
• He did start crawling on the 13th of February. 
• Max is constantly trying to pull up on stuff and gets to his knees everytime, and his feet every once a while. 
• Learned that he can pull his own toys out of the toy bin by himself.
• Got a bad cold, that he could not shake!

This month, Max surpriseed Nana for her birthday in Asheville!  He also got to see Gammy and Paw Paw for a day too. 

Max (as previously mentioned) had a cold that just got worse and worse. His nose ran constantly and his cough became worse and worse.  We decided to take him to the doctor when he woke up on a Friday morning broken out (head to toe) in a rash.  He was put on Augmentin and had to do breathing treatments every 4 hours as needed.  So sad to see our doodle bug with such a bad rash and little energy.  He is so resiliant though and in less than a week, he was back to playing, giggling and lovin' life!

Max is SEVEN months old!

January, 2011

Max is seven months old and is 17.11 lbs.  He is getting so so so big and with every passing day he is just becoming this little man.

Max's stats:

• Max cut his second tooth (both are on the bottom)
• He is getting up on all fours....but not crawling.  Just sort of rocking back and forth.

• Max got stuck in the house for a whole week!  We had a really bad snow and ice storm and we were all stuck at home....no work for dad and no school for Max. 
• Max fed himself his first cheerio.  He is very excited about this!  He makes a 1 in 10 in his mouth, and the rest go to Bear ;-)

• Max ate his first REAL green bean....not mashed into baby food.  He wasn't too sure about it, and didn't like it all that well.
• Started holding his own bottle on January 24th.  This was life-changing....we don't have to really hold him to feed him.
• Max is babbling, babbling, babbling....da da da da da da! 
• Started using a sippy cup....
• Max got his first gift from a girl.  Miss Brittany (at his school) brought Max back a plate and a Mickey Mouse onsie from her trip to Florida. He is such a flirt at school :-)

There were so many developmental milestones this month.  Part of me was so proud and excited for him...but the other half of me was so sad.  He could now start feeding himself somewhat with food, and definitely holding his own bottle.  I had these fleeting moments where I felt as if he needs me less and less these days....then, he would wake up at 4 a.m. and I quickly realize "he stillllllll needs me". LOL.

Max is SIX months old!

December, 2010

My little Maxers is now SIX. MONTHS. OLD!  How did this happen?  He is so animated and so much fun these days!
   
Max's stats:

• Max is 16.2 lbs and 26.5 inches long
• He is rolling from back to belly now in addition to rolling from belly to back
• He cut his first tooth, and we felt his second one coming in
• Had his first CHRISTMAS!  We went to Nana and Poppy's in Asheville and got to see Uncle Barry too!
• Max got to sit on Santa's lap
• Max got to see snow for the first time!
• Max got his first virus....and got sent home from school.  Poor little guy was throwing up and had diarreah.  So sad....

Max is FIVE months old!

November, 2010

5 months old....wow, Max is getting so big!  He weighs about 15.1 lbs and is 25.25 inches long.  Soooo big....or so the book says.  Max loves his Elmo book that says "how big is baby elmo...baby elmo is sooooooo big!"

Max's stats:

• Max starts eating two meals on November 4th (breakfast and dinner)
• Max starting eating green beans in addition to just rice cereal
• First Thanksgiving (we went to Gammy and Paw Paw's in Alabama)
• Max started eating breakfast, lunch AND dinner on November 22nd.
• Nana came to visit and watched Max so mommy and daddy could have a date night!
• Max got to meet Danny and Melinda

   

Max is FOUR months old!

October, 2010

Kissing Monster!!!!!!

I could always get Max to giggle when I kissed him all over and yelled "kissing monster".  He loved this!  He is getting so big....so big, in fact, that it is time for rice cereal!!!!

Max's stats:

• Weight 14.3 lbs and was 24.5 inches long (50th percentile)
• Mom's first overnight trip away (for business)
• Max did his first raspberry
• Ate rice cereal for the first time!
• Max went to Asheville to visit Nana and Poppy
• Discovered his lips and made a new face (sucking in his lips....which made him look like an old man) LOL.
• Max. Found. His. Feet.
• First time in a high chair
• First Halloween....he dressed up as a tiger
• Max went to visit Aunt Shell, Uncle Jeff, Jack, KK, and Lukey in San Antonio....and Max got to sit in first class on his way home!

   

Max is THREE months old!

September, 2010

Max is three months old and loving life!  He is 13 lbs. and 23.75 inches long.

Max's stats:

• He rolled over from belly to back
• Took his second plane ride to Michigan where he got to meet his great-grandpa Barry!
• Slept till 10:15 a.m.
• Moved up to size 2 diapers
• Starting to "pre-teeth"....lots "O" drool
• Really giggles when mommy sang "I love you" to him in the bath

....and most importantly, Max watched his first ALABAMA football game :-). 

   
Worst part of this month....September 28th....when Max fell off the changing table.  It was about 6 in the morning and I was changing him on the table.  I opened the closet door which is adjacent to the table.  I had my hand on the pad and reached into the closet to grab his clothes and before I knew it, I heard a loud cry and he was on the floor right by my foot.  He had propped his leg up and pushed himself off the side of the table.  Scared to death, I scooped him up and ran to Jake crying....what had I done?  We were so scared that Max were hurt, we called 911.   Paramedics came and checked him out and he was fine.  I took him to the doctor just to have him looked over one last time.....Max and Mommy cuddled the rest of the day....
   

August 16th....a day I'll never forget.

August 16th was a sad day for mommy.  This day was so monumental, that it needed it's own post.  This was the day that I was forced....that's right, forced to drop you off at daycare, Max.  I cried harder than I think I've ever cried.....and it happened all day. 
It was heartbreaking to drop you off at school for the first time.  We love the school...it is just hard to share you all day.  Jake and I both went and dropped Max off in the morning.  His teachers were very kind to say that I could come by anytime I wanted to hold him....so I fully took advantage of that....and came by at 11 a.m. AND 2 p.m. to hold my munchkin :-). 

What is wrong with this picture....I left sobbing.  Crying so hard that the teachers were consoling me and Jake had to walk me to my car.  And, Max....well he was just fine :-). His first day of school picture is below...my witness:

Thanks Mrs. P and Miss Lewis for making this traumatic day a little easier....

Max is TWO months old!

August, 2010

Wooohoooo, Max is now two months old....however, with him getting older that means that mommy had to go back to work.  I had inititally taken off 6 weeks, but took an extra two because I could not bare to go back to work yet.  So August 2nd was my official first day back to work.  The first week, Jake stayed home with Max (an experience in and of itself, ha!).  Needless to say, I think daddy was ready to go back to work after 5 days at home taking care of baby while mom worked :-).

Nana came the second week of August to watch Maxers!  What a help!  This allowed us to keep Max out of daycare until he was 10 weeks old....still entirely too young, but better than 6 weeks. 

Max is really getting better.  He weighted 12 lbs exactly at his two month well visit.  He is discovering more and more as well as reacting to things more so.

   
Max's stats:

• Max slept 10 hours straight at eight weeks old......allelujia!
• August was when Max starting bottle feeding solely
• Started cooing (the best noise ever)
• Discovered his hands
• Visit from Aunt Shell and Lukey
• Starting pulling himself to a sitting position when holding onto my hands around 10 weeks
• Sat in his bumbo chair
• First cold
• First trip to Alabama to see Gammy and Paw Paw
• Sucking on your hands
• Sat in the exersaucer at school (at 2 months and 3.5 weeks old)
• Started making small giggle noises
• Max had the cutest pouty face....I mean, so cute, we would almost want to do things that would make him want to cry just to see this adorable face...

....don't you agree?

Max is ONE month old!

July, 2010

At one month old, Max became a frequent flier like his mama.  At 1 month and 3 days old, he traveled with us to Florida.  My company (Spirit Health Group) offered to bring us down to Boca Raton for our National Executive Meeting....so off to the beach we went!  It was a great trip and it was right around this time that Max started sleep through the night - around 6 hours straight....glorious!

   
Other Max stats:

• 9 lbs and 14 oz. at his one month visit
• Starting to smile in response to mom and dad making silly faces
• Went to church for the first time
• Slept in his crib the first time and did great
• We went out to dinner and a movie for the first time without you
• FIRST day at the beach....he did great
• FIRST plane ride
• FIRST fourth of July!