He's a Crawler....Shockaller

What a sport! He is the best little baby and couldn't be any cuter if he tried. It's a good thing that I hang out with a lot of other gushing mommies so I don't have to make the general public sick with my never ending doting remarks. I could talk about this sweet boy 24/7.

Max is doing so much these days. He crawls from one end of the house to the other. We had to start baby proofing when he was 7 months old. Once he started chasing the cat around the house, I knew we had reached the "getting into everything" stage. After Max dove into Boogars' cat food bowl, I told Marc that he has to keep his eye on the baby at all times because has gone mobile.

Several days later after I had explained this bit of information to Marc, I came home from yoga to find Marc asleep on the couch. Of course I thought it was a joke that Marc was napping before midnight because he always goes to bed so late. I asked him "where's Max" and he threw a quick glance toward his feet and said "right there". Once again I thought he was joking or trying to fool me because there was no baby by his feet. In response to my confused expression, he jumped up and started walking in circles and looking around the couch as if he had misplaced the baby....I thought that he was possibly playing a joke on me and Max was sleeping soundly in his crib. I really didn't know what to think about Marc's state of mind until I saw his jaw drop as he looked at his son in the hallway climbing up onto the laundry detergent.

Having a baby has caused me to relive many moments of my own childhood and this stirred up a huge memory. I vividly recalled how serious an incident we had in our home when one of my brothers drank lime away and was sent to the hospital. It was really scary to think back about my brother and a wake up call to Marc. You can't be asleep and watching your baby at the same time.....duh!

Fortunately nothing bad happened and now it is fun to watch little diaper butt scooting around the house. I don't mind that he is all over the place because he is usually having a blast with the cat or his toys. It took him so long to show interest in the cat and now he is all about their brotherly love.

Unfortunately for Max, Boogars is not so keen on having clumps of hair pulled out and has resorted to batting his paw a few times. Ahahahaha....I am still laughing over that one. Boogars is all bark and no bite and trying to show Max that he needs to keep his distance. They are friendly for the most part, but as Max continues to get stronger I think Boogars will keep running away faster and faster.

Max is jabbering away these days and has lots to say. He says quite a few consonants in all the babbling and still only has the two words mama and dada. He said mama for the first time at 6 months old and would repeat it over and over as one long mamamamamama. Then after about a month of that he began dadadadada. Now for the first time this week he is trying to imitate many other words on a regular basis. I looooove it when he does this. It's not too often, but we have our rituals that involve saying and doing the same things.

For instance, this morning when I picked him up out of his crib, I said the usual "good morning". And he just smiled and cooed and made a good morning sound that imitated the inflection of my voice. It was so sweet. And other things I tell him such as "I love you" have been mimicked as well as the word kitty. These words aren't coming out terribly clear and if it weren't in response to what I had just said, I'm sure they wouldn't be as easily understood. With a little more practice I'm sure he will be saying lots more soon.


I'm reading the most fabulous book. Whaaaa----you say? Read? Gosh, I haven't had time to do something like that since Max was born. If I have a free minute, I'm usually trying to squeeze in a nap or a quick workout or a post on my blog. These are all things that I would like to do every single day, but there's absolutely no way. It's always a sacrifice to do one thing instead of another.

But alas, I am reading a book! Even if it is only a few pages a day, I am reading. My first book back is "The Continuum Concept" by Jean Liedloff. Wow, it is amazing and a must read for all parents. I'm on Chapter 3 entitled "The Beginning of Life" and am fascinated by the assessment of a baby's needs.

When a baby is born, they have strict requirements about what they need. We have learned that he cannot hope that if he is uncomfortable now, that he will be comfortable later. Either things are right or not right. He cannot feel that "mother will be right back" when she leaves him. If a baby is left to cry for too long and the response it is meant to elicit does not come, that feeling gives way to utter bleakness without time or hope. That breaks my heart to think of a screaming, crying baby left all alone to suffer!!!

It does make sense to me that we have these maternal instincts to respond to our baby's cries, and it bewilders me that there are people who bring another life into the world and ignore their cries for help. It says that if you can't be received as a baby, that you may have trouble bonding and forming attachments. The psychotherapist that recommended this book to me simply stated that if I ever have any doubts about my role as an attachment parent, to read this book and keep up the good work.

I wish I could stay up all night and read this whole entire book. But there is no way I would be a good mommy tomorrow without any sleep. Funny how parenting doesn't allow for a day off and breast feeding gives about a 6 hour break at the most. I love my full time job!

Speaking of jobs, I have some part time work coming up for the holidays. I'll be working in short 4 hour little incriments on the weekends for Kitchen Aid and I'm looking forward to the small amount of responsibility. Marc's mom does this same job in Florida and hooked me up with the little side gig. Sounds manageable enough for a start back to earning an income!

I'm missing the entertainment industry, but not enough to go back to it any time soon. Those hours are tough to keep up with for anyone, but for a new mom....forget about it. I would definitely have a meltdown! I don't know if I could keep up with breast feeding and would feel horrible about using formula. And not to mention, we still get up once in the night and I would be exhausted all the time. No thank you!

It would be so sad to miss out on special moments and huge milestones if I were working full time. I am so grateful to be at home with my boy. I love being with him and moments like bathtime are the best. His little butt is so cute as he tries to crawl out of his froggie bathtub. I treasure every moment with all my boys!!!

Goodnight!

Halloween Monkey Kisses

Happy Halloween! All weekend we are reminded of our own childhood joys of dressing up in homemade costumes and trick or treating all over the neighborhood. And we can't help but remember the sorrow of having our parents throw away all the candy. And the joy of having an extra secret stash that they didn't know about. And the sorrow of eating so much sugar that we had to vomit.

It probably wasn't necessary to eat the entire trash bag full of candy in one night. Just thinking about it gives me a simultaneous sugar high and low....I do not know how we were physically able to tear open hundreds of wrappers and shove that many nerds, reeses, and tootsie pops into our mouths in one sitting. In my old age (early 30's) I've graduated from binging on sweet confections to getting a head ache after a single peanut butter cookie. And I'm simply unable to resist the combination of peanut butter and chocolate. It has become rebellious of me to eat two whole cookies.

Contesting how much junk food I can ingest on Oct. 31 is not the only thing that has changed for me this halloween. Now all I care about it my little monkey. Seeing him at the park with his friends yesterday was the most precious thing in the entire world. All the mommies were eager to show off their little ghosts and goblins. Whether it was a lobster, farmer, or angel in tow, you can bet it was stinkin' cute.

As an outsider looking in, I probably would have thought that we were a bunch of nutball mommies torturing their little ones by forcing them to wear ridiculous outfits. However, I was on the inside all the way and loving every minute. Nothing could have been more normal and natural than staring at our little pumpkins.

Ballerina Calli was leaning in for a kiss, and Monkey Max decided to chew on some keys rather than reciprocate his lady friend's affection. Silly monkey....happy halloween!

Lights Camera Camping

As if we didn't already know it, Max is a ham in front of the camera. We booked an infomercial together and shot it last week. He was all smiles as I talked about the fantastic baby food processor that we've been using to make all of Max's baby food at home. He was a natural and we enjoyed our time on set.

The whole crew including the producers raved about Max's happy demeanor. Every single one of the babies at the shoot was adorable, but they unanimously voted Max the Gerber baby of the group. He won it by a long shot.

Max may read this later one day and think it's crazy that he ever loved so much attention. Or he may laugh at how he was born loving the camera. Either way, I will support him, but I'm guessing it will be funny to look back on how his life began.

On Friday, we headed out for a weekend of camping out at Joshua Tree. I think it was fairly brave of us to take a 7 month old camping, but everything went really well. Max absolutely loved all of the bustling activities that encompassed camping. Once again, he was a natural.

Like all little boys, Max loved being in the tent. He didn't seem to miss the comfort of his crib for one single second. He slept on the air mattress for part of the time and in my suitcase for the other part of the time. It got really cold at night and we had him bundled up like a burrito. We kept him so busy that he never turned down an opportunity to sleep. Awesome!

We went on 3 beautiful hikes and Marc and I traded off carrying Max. It was a little too hot for me to keep him in the moby wrap, so Marc ended up just carrying him in his arms most of the time. That had to be an arm workout for Marc and pure bliss for Max. He was so content that he even fell asleep around Marc's neck on one of the hikes. It was pretty darn cute if I say so myself.

This was truly a week of reaffirmation that my baby is a super star camper. He doesn't mind roughing it or earning his keep. What a trooper! I'm not ready to get him an agent, but we will start planning our next trip!

Plan B

The biggest news we have these days is that Max is sleeping in his crib and only gets up a couple times a night now. The way we initially devised the plan was not the way I carried out the plan. But sometimes you have to go to plan B.

Plan B involved me jumping up and down through out the night like a jack in the box. I could no longer breast feed him laying down in the middle of the night because I would fall asleep while nursing. And then forget about waking up to put Max back in the crib. I was too tired to care, and too absent minded to think about the baby sleeping anywhere else besides right next to me. So I would breast feed in the rocking chair and lay him back in the crib when I was finished.

It sounds like a really easy process, but nothing was easy that first week. It was harder on me than anyone. It wasn't very hard on Marc (except for a couple feedings he did) because he slept in another room and couldn't hear what was going on. And it wasn't hard on Max, because he always got and continues to get fed and soothed whenever he needs. But for me it was brutal.

We put the air mattress in Max's bedroom for me to lay down on after feeding him. That was especially useful when Max wouldn't go right back to sleep after a feeding. I could lay him down in his crib, and if he woke up I would be right there in his room to assure him that he was ok rather than running back and forth from one room to another.

Most importantly, I am very pleased with the results. We didn't use any cry it out methods or any baby training techniques. We didn't subscribe to the Ferber method or any other nutballs. We stuck with basic attachment parenting principles and hold your breath. Dun dun dunnnnn.....maternal instincts.

The easiest way to transition a baby to a crib this way is to have the father do all the night time feedings with a bottle. That way they still get their milk without looking to the boob for comfort all through out the night. But I crossed the hardest hump on my own before Marc's mom came in town. She did almost all the night feedings and helped me out tremendously. I think that really allowed us all to adjust to our new sleeping arrangements.

And just to clarify, I would start off co-sleeping if I had to do it over again. There is no way in the world I would have been able to hop up and down to breast feed every hour or two in the beginning. I'm certain that there is no way I would have succeeded with much separation between us. I believe mommies and babies are meant to be very close together in the beginning to develop a strong, secure bond.

Max is doing tons of adorable things that are much more interesting than just sleeping. He's been eating solid foods for well over a month now. It took a while to care about food, and now that he does I think he's obsessed. Today he wouldn't stop eating and Marc just kept feeding and feeding him. Marc thought he would know when to stop eating because he was full, but that was absolutely not the case.

Marc fed him hummus, a little slice of a peach, and a ton of sweet potato. He wouldn't stop eating sweet potato and Marc thought he was still hungry. Later when Max threw up we decided that it is our job to have portion control in mind after a certain amount. If he really likes the taste of a food, he might never stop eating if we don't stop feeding him.

We also like to feed him some foods such as avocado, banana, and boiled carrots that he can feed himself. It's fun for him and keeps him busy while we are doing other things in the kitchen. Here's Max in his high chair where he hangs out and watches me make shakes and clean dishes. The blender doesn't even phase him because he is so used to the noise. This is part of our routine almost every single day.

Marc's mom brought her friend Barbara with her to visit us and they stayed for a whole week. We went to some really fun events together. We all went to the movies and saw "The Town" with Ben Affleck. It was a great plot with a tremendous amount of violence. I got to see a fair amount of the flick except for when Max was talking to the big screen and we had to take some breaks to go sit outside.

We went to the Ahmanson Theatre to see "Leap of Faith" with Brooke Shields. It wasn't up to Broadway's standards, but we enjoyed it. I was so excited about getting out with the girls in my high heels that I wasn't paying attention and ungracefully fell down a small flight of stairs. Let's just say, "Ow, I'm still sore from that mistake!"

One night we got a babysitter and all went out to a comedy show at the Groundlings. We laughed our butts off and probably got a little ab workout that night. It was an absolute blast.

And for some "me" time, I went to a few yoga classes, got a massage, rode my bike, and got lots of extra sleep. That's really all it takes to make me happy. That was such a treat for me to do these things that I love and come home to the cutest baby in the world. It's amazing how he becomes even cuter after the opportunity to be selfish....I am so blessed!

Max & Jaxson

Max and Jaxson met today at their H&M print audition. They both rocked it. Max almost slept through his opportunity to shine, but he made it in the nick of time. Fortunately he opened his eyes and gave the photographer a little smile. After that we took the time to visit with my friend Brandie and her son Jaxson.

Jaxson is only 3 days older than Max and it is precious to see them next to each other. Jaxson was the boss of the two and was pulling on Max's ear. Max was focusing so hard to sit up right all by himself that he wasn't able to reciprocate the attention. Their developmental stages are almost perfectly in sync and they are both very happy boys. It was entertaining to see their interaction with one another.

When we got home, I sat Max on his play mat and he was not happy about that. I realize that I never get an upset picture and thought I'd post one. He's adorable even when he's sad. Of course I prefer a smile, but this face just melts my heart.

Last night was Max's first night to spend all night in his crib. Marc had an extremely hard time with a middle of the night feeding and was in a terrible mood. He was so tired that he didn't get out of bed until 1pm and missed all of the good volleyball games this morning. You know he felt bad if he missed his coveted time at the beach.

One night feeding wrecked him so bad that he refused to help me for the rest of the week. Tonight, I re-convinced him to man up and help me out. So he re-agreed to help with the transition. Whew! So once again, we shall see what the night brings...

Wish us luck!

Little P Found His Package!

Yes, that is how it sounds. Little Max Perry found his penis this week. Now when we change him, he has to check and make sure it is still there. I keep telling him it's all intact....including his foreskin. He's already holding himself like a football player in the locker room. That must be an exciting discovery for any boy!

He also found his ears. He keeps running his hand back there to pull on his ears and scratch his head. He's giving the Fonz from "Grease" a run for his money. All baby Max needs is a little more hair.

We've reached a pivotal point where we are ready to transition Max to his crib. We are all ready. Well, Marc and I are ready, but I'm not sure if Max is or not. But I am done with cosleeping. It served us well and attributed to a strong breast feeding relationship, but it suddenly became perfectly clear that we are ready for the next step.

It was a culmination of milestones that got us to this point. First of all, he is not teething. Both of his bottom teeth have come in, so I don't have to worry about him enduring excruciating pain all night. Secondly, we are not traveling. Nor do we plan to go anywhere before Thanksgiving. As I well know, it is impossible to adapt a solid schedule if you are going to leave and wreck it. Third, Max is finally eating lots of food. So I don't have to worry about his little tummy hurting because he is empty. These factors were all crucial before we could possibly attempt the transition.

I was just hoping for him to show some interest in food, but it is beyond that. Today he ate 1/3 of an avocado, a few beans, and some banana with brown rice cereal. I couldn't have asked for more in the food department.

Last time I fed him avocado, he gagged on it and spit it out. Today, he barked at me when I didn't feed it to him fast enough. Since I eat avocado almost every day, that will be a very easy food to give him. It's also nice that I don't have to puree it for him. I simply cut him a slice and he chews and swallows without a problem. This feels like a victory for me, but all I did was continue to offer it to him over and over.

The way we are transitioning Max into his crib is as usual a carefully thought out plan modeled by other peaceful parenting advocates and nonbelievers in crying it out. A breast fed baby's first love affair is with the boob. So naturally they look for the boob for comfort. And Max loves to look for that boob in the middle of the night!

So to switch it up, tonight daddy Marc will be there to comfort. Not me. Yes, that's right folks. Marc is taking over the nighttime feedings until Max is adjusted to his room. And since Marc doesn't have boobs, he will be there to comfort and soothe in a different way than me. Because at this point, it's about comfort more than hunger. I'm actually going to do the first feeding just to give my boobs some relief, and then it will be up to Marc to get Max through the rest of the night. I am going to sleep in another room after the first feeding so I can get a much needed break and some extra sleep. Wait. I lie. I'm not getting extra sleep. I'd have to sleep for a straight month for it to be considered extra. I am just aiming to get a good night's sleep is all.

So I got the boys all ready for their first night. We have the baby monitors all set up. Max has his turtle nightlight on so he can see where he is when he wakes up. Since he won't be smelling me and my milk, he will have the bunny that he sleeps with every night with our familiar scents. I moved the rocking chair from the living room into his bedroom. Basically, I've equipped them with everything they might need in hopes of being left alone. I'm really hoping for a successful night, but realize it usually takes a week to begin a new sleep association.

Let's hope Max finds his package is an adequate replacement for the boob. Because tonight it's up to him and Daddy! Wish us luck!

My big boy.

I can remember a long time ago back before I was a mother. It's been over a year if you count pregnancy. And over 10 years if you count Boogars. Either way it's been a long while.

I remember back when moms would talk about how big their babies were. It usually sounded like, "Oh my goodness, I can't believe they're growing up soooo fast!" And my response was probably to nod my head in agreement because I didn't notice a difference either way. It just never seemed like a big deal to me. And to talk about growing an inch was the equivalent of talking about the weather. Booooorrrriiiinnnng!

But here I am wanting to talk about how big my baby boy is. He's sooooo big. And mature. And smart. And strong. And did I mention cute? Ok, I know I need to simmer down. But he's just getting so big! Hahahaha!!! I gave him his first bath in his big boy bath tub tonight. He's almost outgrown the kitchen sink and bath time has become an opportunity to stretch out and have some fun. As much as he loves to kick his legs, I want him to be able to splash water all over the bathroom.

So tonight was his first night to forego the sink and get in his new inflatable bathtub. It wasn't as successful as planned, but these things always take some tweaking. Every time we change any part of our routine, we realize we are making at least one mistake. Tonight he was tired and cranky when he got in his bath, so instead of playtime we just got down to the basics and did a quick scrub. It's safe to say he didn't appreciate his new bath time experience. I think he would have prefered to skip bathtime altogether tonight.

Now that we are feeding Max solid foods, bathtime is of the utmost importance. Between smearing food all over his face, hands, and body, my sticky little guy is quite a mess. The most important part of our daily routine is at least an ounce of solid food at night before bath and then mommy's milk and sleep.

I have offered him a bite or two of food every single day for the past few weeks. And thank goodness Max is finally starting to show a small amount of interest in solid foods. Yea!!! Yesterday was the first day that he ate really well with the spoon. I fed him bananas with a little brown rice mixed in. I know he likes plain bananas, but I had no idea that he would eat it with the added texture of the rice. But he did!

And low and behold, it was a good night after his big banana/rice meal. I got to sleep for 6 hours in a row. And then I fed him and we both went right back to sleep. And then I fed him 1 more time an hour later and fell right back asleep again. And then I almost cried tears of joy. Because I woke up feeling refreshed. That is the biggest deal in the whole entire world. Nothing else compares to waking up feeling rested. I was able to get out and run errands during Max's naptime today, because I wasn't a zombie waiting for him to fall asleep so I could take a nap.

Hey, I don't want to sound like I'm complaining. It all works out perfectly since I don't have to go to work every day. I'm able to take naps during the day with Max so I'm able to function. But it's extra special for me to get up and go all day without feeling like a brick fell on my head. Usually when we have tough nights, I just stay close to home so I don't miss the chance to catch some z's.

Max and I had so much fun running around town today. I couldn't believe it at one point when I looked down at him in his stroller and he was sitting straight up. That's why I'm bragging about how big and strong my baby is. He's practically sitting up straight all by himself. By the looks of his smile I think he was feeling quite proud of his new accomplishment.

And he is getting strong and scooting around after his toys now. Unfortunately he thinks everything he sees is a toy for him. Today he really shocked me when he scooted a few feet across the kitchen into the cat's food bowl. That was another first for sure. He grasped a handfull of his furry brother's food without missing a beat. He knows what he wants when he sees it.

I love it that we are having so much fun getting to know each other. I always wonder what his interests will be. I wonder if he will have my creative side or be more math-minded like Marc. I wonder what his favorite sport will be. I wonder if he will want to tap dance with me. I wonder what all of his likes and dislikes will be. I wonder how embarrassed he will be when I want to mush and squoosh him in front of his friends.

I'm just loving my big boy! Hey, have you heard that it's cooling off outside......