Fun at the Mall

I took Max to Potomac Mills today to see the circus animals (see post above) and then went in to walk around a bit. I forgot there was a nice big open space for him to crawl around. It was great! Yesterday we went to the other end of the mall with Daddy and I let Max crawl around Books -A- Million while Matt perused books about cruising. That didn't last long as Max looked at the bookshelves as millions and millions of toys set out especially for him to play with. So when I rediscovered this big open area it was like the heavens opened and angels sang because, Behold! lots of space to roam, some free things to entertain AND a spot to sit and eat lunch! Fun!

Word of the Day

Temper Tantrums. Okay, so that's two words. If you experienced the sheer volume (that's volume as in number of tantrums and as in LOUD!) of temper tantrums that I got to experience today, you'd have trouble counting too! You can't tell it from these angelic pictures above, but that's because Max is getting what he wants in these pictures. Take away the remote or the cell phone or the basket of note cards or basket of books or the handful of dirt and strands of mommy's hair that he wants to eat and you'd see a far different Max Arthur! I think he may be teething and maybe very close to being able to pull himself up on his own so he is just not a happy camper today. Sigh. This too shall pass and I'm sure I'll long for the days when he fusses about things like not getting the remote instead of not getting to have the car for a hot date!

Rashmi Pappu Photography

One thing I had always dreamed of doing was having maternity and newborn pictures done. Last summer, about 3 weeks before Max was born, Matt & I met Rashmi Pappu who made this dream come true! My sister and her neighbor had had photo sessions with her the year before and I loved her work. We went to the covered bridge at Tackett's Mill and took a bunch of pictures early one morning when they light was just right. Then we came back to our house. Matt went to work and Rashmi took some individual shots. As soon as I saw a few of the proofs I knew it was worth every penny. We really didn't have the finances for this at the time and I wasn't sure how we were going to afford this, but I also knew that this was something that had to be done at that moment in time or it just wasn't going to happen. I had the same dilemma 6 weeks later when I took Max to get his newborn photos done when he was 18 days old. I wasn't able to buy lots of fancy things that were available, but all I cared about was having the memories, so I bought a bunch of 5x7's (actually, most of them were given to me as a birthday gift from my dad!). I found some economical frames at Target and the displays above are the result! If you click on the picture, you can see each 5x7 better.

Rashmi was so much fun and so sweet and down to earth, I felt like I was hanging out with a friend. I even left Max with her while I ran an errand when she did his newborn photos!! She loves children and seems to count it as a privilege to photograph her subjects.

If you look to the right on my list of favorite blogs, you will see "My Photographer's Blog". If you have ever considered having custom portraits done of your kids I would highly recommend Rashmi. Check out her blog - she always has fun posts with new photos she's taken and sometimes even a contest. We plan on having another session done sometime this year and I can hardly wait!!

Cutest Baby Ever!

Okay, so I know I'm biased, but I just love this little guy!! Here he is at 8 months and 2 days old. Nana & Pappy came for a quick visit and we got to play and then go to lunch with Daddy and then take a walk around Manassas Battlefield. Fun times!

My Little Reader

I grabbed my camera in hopes of capturing Max as he pulled the book The History of Beer in America off the bookshelf in the living room, but I wasn't fast enough. Instead, here's a picture of him with The Very Hungry Caterpillar. His favorite part of this book is poking his finger through all the holes in the food eaten by the VHC.

Quick 8 month update (8 months on 4/23!!) - He's crawling, eating lots of food (avocados, pears, sweet potatoes, bananas, peas, pizza crust, yogurt, rice cereal), enjoys trying to feed himself with a spoon, but can't quite figure out how to get the spoon out of his hand so he shakes his fist over and over again until the spoon magically comes flying out of it and onto the floor for Mommy to pick up, he babbles (mamama, lalalala, dadadada), clicks his tongue, likes to shake his head back and forth as if saying "no" and loves it when you do it back to him, is seeming less interested in nursing, sleeping for longer stretches at night, has 6 teeth (well, more like 5 1/2), weighs almost 22 lbs and loves people & dogs. Oh, and he likes pina coladas and getting caught in the rain. That's our boy! It's been a crazy and fun 8 months. Can't wait to see what the next month brings!

Beautiful Day!

It was a beautful day today! Sunny, no humidity & in the mid-70's - in Virginia that's a rare combination. We have to take advantage of weather like this when it pops up. In no time at all it will be in the 90's with 99% humidity and bugs galore. Today was a perfect day for a stroll along the Potomac River at Leesylvania State Park. My brother Josh joined us and brought the dogs (Jake & Xavier) to enjoy the day.

April is Autism Awareness Month

As most of you know, I taught teens with autism for 4 years. It was the best job I ever had, but it also opened my eyes to autism. I used to be afraid of autism because I didn’t understand it and the videos they showed us in college while getting my education degree were pretty scary! However, I easily overcame that fear when I got to know my dear, sweet students. They were each unique and had so much more to offer than the average person would guess. They had difficulties overcoming things that are easy for the "typical" person such as interacting with others, but they were so much fun. One of the biggest misconceptions people have about those with autism is that they don’t have feelings or are like robots. That was just plain wrong! I found that each of my students definitely had emotions and a unique personality. Understanding their way of expressing themselves took a little more work than understanding someone without autism, but it IS possible!
We still don’t know what causes it, but the incidence of autism is increasing every year and it strikes boys 4x more than girls!
Now that I have a son, I am even more interested in finding the cause(s) of autism because I don’t want him to be a statistic. There’s a lot of controversy out there about the possible causes, and I encourage each of you to find out what you can about autism, because with the numbers increasing as they are, there’s a very good chance you already know or will meet someone with autism in the future.
After learning about autism over the last several years one of the only things I am 100% convinced about is that early intervention is THE BEST way to handle any autism or autism-like diagnosis (Aspberger’s, PDD-NOS). The early years are crucial. Please take 46 seconds to watch this video on early autism signs. You never know who you could help just by knowing these few very important possible identifiers of autism. Too many parents hope their child will "just grow out of" a phase, but that doesn’t always happen. Also, many parents think that autism doesn't show up until the age of 2 or 3, and while that is the case for some children, there are many studies that show that children often show signs of autism much, much earlier - as early as 6 months- if only the parent knows what to look for.
Thanks for taking 46 seconds to view this PSA! I posted it earlier, but it's so good I wanted to post it again!

Skull & Cross Bones Needed

I think most new parents can understand the frightening idea that there are literally thousands of things in our daily lives that, though previously considered harmless, we now think should be packaged with multiple images of a skull and cross bones. The other night I went to pick Max up from his crib after he'd been crying for a while. I heard him sucking, but couldn't see a pacifier coming out of his mouth. I then realized that he had THE WHOLE THING IN HIS MOUTH! At first I laughed because I couldn't believe he was able to do that, then I became so worried because it seems to me that it's possible the same thing could've happened, but with much more dire consequences. He could've suffocated if he got it back far enough into his mouth!

I wanted to post this so that all my other new-parent friends would be aware that pacifiers should be the right size for your baby's mouth. The kind I was using, the Soothie pictured above, was only meant for newborns - I learned this today when I went to Babies R Us to get a different paci for Max. Soothie has another pacifier meant for ages 3 months and up. And guess what? They even have a warning on the back of the package: "Do not use if entire pacifier will fit inside child's mouth; this will happen as he gets older." Who keeps the packaging????? Anyway, I hope this will help someone!!

I Love Daddy!

Max LOVES his daddy. He's lucky to have a dad who loves him like crazy and who understands how much he is needed by his boy. It seems that for years our society has downplayed or even ignored the importance of fathers in their children's lives to the detriment of countless children. I am thankful Matt is such an involved and loving father!! Check out this article for more information on the important role of fathers.

Happy Easter!

Max the Bunny wishes you a wonderful and very happy Easter!

Autism Awareness

April is Autism Awareness month - yes, I know it's still March! Please take 46 seconds to view this link and share with as many people as you can. After teaching teens with autism for 4 years it became VERY apparent to me that early diagnosis and intervention is THE best way to deal with autsim. Thanks!!

BSL - Baby Sign Language

Max used his first sign last week! Believe it or not, he can sign "more". I briefly taught it to him last Wednesday, then when Matt was home Thursday he spent time working on it with him while he fed him is yogurt. It took about 20 minutes and then he had it down! I was skeptical at first since I wasn't there, but was quickly a believer the next time Max ate and he used his sign every time he wanted another bite. He uses "more" for anything and everything at this point (i.e. "more food", "more books", "more milk", and cutest so far "more Daddy" ) but he will quickly pick up other signs, I'm sure. I am incorporating the signs for "milk", "finished", "sleepy", "book" and "bath" into our communications now.

I can already see that it has alleviated some of his frustrations in getting what he wants. He seems to be developing a little temper so anything that we can do to make him better able to communicate his needs is helpful to us! I'm not interested in creating some kind of Super Baby, but I saw how helpful BSL can be when my niece (3.5) and nephew (1.5) used it. They were able to express their needs with signs long before they could utter a single word. For more info on BSL, check out this article.

New Max Video

My brother Josh got a new video camera and has been experimenting with Windows Moviemaker. Here is a video he made from yesterday. Cute!! Sarah

MMMMM....Yogurt!

Max enjoyed feeding himself yogurt today. I couldn't get him to crack a smile, but trust me, he LOVED feeding himself. Fun times ahead!!

I started him on food when he was 5 months, but he was having reactions to it (vomitting, gas, etc.) so we took a break and I'm trying again now. I'll try avocados again maybe next week and hold off a little longer on the oatmeal since that seemed to give him the biggest reaction previously. A very thorough book on the subject of feeding your baby and toddler is Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron. I find it a bit overwhelming because there's so much info in it, but it seems like a great source for info on starting your child out with the healthiest diet possible (after/while breastfeeding, of course!). I think even if you don't follow her advice to the letter you can still learn a lot. I figured if I cared enough to immerse myself in all the breastfeeding information, I should care as much about what I have him eat AFTER breastfeeding.

Picture of the Day

Max in the same rocking chair Nana used as a child - so cute!!

Let the Baby Proofing Begin!

Max is 6 months and 4 days old today and I've learned I officially need to start baby proofing!
Things I have taken away from him today:

• Trash can in the computer room
• Cable that he managed to get out from behind a filing cabinet
• Lint off the floor
• The door to the dryer - he made his way over there and nearly pulled up on it before I caught him!

My little boy is growing up! He's not yet crawling which is why I didn't think I'd need to baby proof yet, but that kid can sure get around. He rolls every where and when he's not rolling he does these little pre-crawling push-up things (only things touching the ground are his hands and toes - it's really quite impressive. I'm not sure I could do that!) that manage to scoot him backward clear across the room!

Oh, and he had his 6 month check-up yesterday. He weighs 17 lbs 14 oz. and is 27.5 inches long. 42nd percentile for weight and 80th for height. I keep telling him to catch up with his buddy on the West Coast, the Other Max Arthur , but he doesn't seem to be listening! That's okay, he's perfect just the way he is. : )

Valentine's Books!
Max received lots of fun books from his Nana for Valentine's Day. He LOVES to read books with his daddy. Thanks Nana!

Supermom!
I went on a walk on this gorgeous February day (temps in the 60's and maybe even 70's!) with my sister, her two neighbors and all six of our kids! Thankfully I brought my camera and was able to capture Melissa in this Supermom moment: 2 1/2 yearold in the stroller, 6 week old in the Moby wrap, Bailey the dog on a leash and Melissa on her cell! You go girl!

Don't hit, don't bite, don't tackle, don't push....

These were the instructions my 3 year-old niece gave me while she left me to "babysit" Max when she went to "Sam's Club" today. I got to babysit Mabel & Weston today and Mabel taught me all about playing "Sam's Club". She is big into pretending these days, so she was going to Sam's Club and I was to take care of Max and make sure I didn't do any of the above to him. She would take one of Max's toys, go to the front of the house (Sam's Club) and then come back and show me what she bought (the same toy). I had to ask how much it cost and the average amount of the various items was $4 million.

Another fun game we played involved putting stickers of Disney pricesses on our hands and pretending they were talking to each other. Here is some of our conversation:
Me (as Pocahontas) to Mabel (as Ariel): "Ariel, I love your hair!"
Ariel: "Thanks! I love your hair too!"
Pocahontas: "So Ariel, do you have a job under the sea?"
Ariel: "Yeessss."
Pocahontas: "Really? What do you do?"
Ariel: "I work with computers."

Pocahontas also asked Ariel if she voted yesterday and she said she had. Ariel said she voted for Clinton. Hmmmmm...........

Helping Pappy Put Away the Bad Guys!
We went to Pennsylvania for the Super Bowl & for Matt's birthday and Max got to go visit his grandpa (Pappy) at work! Pappy is a judge in York, PA. He will be retiring in June. Do I smell nepotism?????

Hats

I can't resist a cute hat. Max will probably have words with me about this one day, but until that happens I'm going to enjoy playing dress up with him!

Brilliant Idea!

How many of us have ever received or given a locket as a gift only to wonder how we will ever find a photo tiny enough to fit? My mother-in-law found a great solution! Just save those index sheets that come with your photo orders and - viola!- photos that fit tiny lockets! Thanks Sue!

Organizing Your Child's Artwork
Check out this great idea from my photographer friend for organizing your kid's artwork!
Rashmi Pappu Photography - The Blog: [organizing artwork]

Advice for New Moms
My sister Katie sent these ideas to a friend who was having a couple rough nights with her 7 month old. The baby's sleep patterns were changing and the friend and her husband were starting to be at odds about how best to handle them. I think these ideas work for many issues of parenting.

Katie really has a heart for new moms and always gives great advice for those of us who may be feeling a little down or like we are definately out of the running for Mother of The Year. I thought some of you might be encouraged by these tips. Enjoy!

1. Shut out all the voices. You've read plenty, sought out plenty. It's time to shut the books and the turn off the Web and just test things out based on what you think you're instincts are telling you. The only way to develop those instincts is by trial and error--if you think something is "it," try it out! If it doesn't work quite right, tweak it until it does.

2. Know that you know what is best out of all the options and you will choose what's best for your baby...and be/stay confident about it.

3. Fake confidence--behave and act as if you have confidence for as long as it takes--until you develop it. Works every time, I swear--no kidding. (The confidence you have is not in a certain technique or tool, but in your own ability to mother: your instincts. Have confidence that they are your hard-and-fast reliable guides and begin to develop them (see #1)

4. Empower your husband (by encouraging him and praising him when he's successful) to seek out his own ways of fathering the baby, which will hopefully and happily be different than yours, even if he "steals" some of your secrets/tricks!

TAA- Tylenol Addicts Anonymous
Is there such a thing? If not, I need to start one! I think Max is addicted to Tylenol! : ) He has been taking it for his teething pain and the 2 times I've gotten it out today he was whining non-stop until he saw the bottle, then he broke into a smile. Let's hope it's just the grape flavoring he likes!

Operating Instructions
If you've never read Anne Lamott, you should! She is one eccentric liberal, which is a direct contrast to my straight-and-narrow conservative self, but I just love how she writes! I think she would fall into the group of people I think of as "imperfect" (see posting from last week) . I am currently reading her book, Operating Instructions, A Journal of My Son's First Year. She just really knows how to turn a phrase. Her language might be a tad offensive, but she just seems to be such a real person. Here is a little excerpt from my reading this morning (curse words are bleeped!) :

"4 a.m.
I nursed the baby a while ago and we had gone back to sleep on the futon on the living room floor, which is still our headquarters, I heard him begin to whimper, and I thought, "Go back to sleep, you little ^&*(." He kept whimpering, like a golden retriever whose feelings you've hurt, but he wasn't really crying, so I didn't wake up all the way. I kept shushing him and thinking, "You whiny little bugger." Finally, at least ten minutes later, with total hostility and resentment, I roused myself enough to reach over and rub his back, which sometimes helps a little - and he wasn't there! I turned on the light, and he wasn't anywhere on the bed! I actually thought he'd been kidnapped; of left. It turns out he had somehow scooted off the bed and landed on the floor between the head of the futon and the wall and had just lain there whimpering. I don't think I can capture in words how I felt at the moment."

I just laughed outloud at this when I read it because I know those types of thoughts have run through my head when exhaustion hits. I love that she has the courage to publish these thoughts. From the rest of her journal it's very obvious that she is head-over-heels in love with her son, but I think all new moms can identify with these feelings.

If you're not into the parenting thing, her book Traveling Mercies is also a fun read.

Smiling Time
After putting Max down for his morning nap, I rushed to take a shower and happily thought of what I would do for my free hour - read, watch TV, clean - ha!?? Upon getting out of the shower, I heard him STILL making a racket! Normally he falls right to sleep. I went in his room and he had managed to get himself unswaddled, the little Houdini. Anyway, as soon as he saw me he gave me the biggest smile and got all excited and actually seemed to say, "Yes! My parole officer has arrived! I will now be released from my crib prison. Praise God!" Being the mean mommy I am, I replied, "No. It's not smiling time. It's nap time."

I tried to be serious, but I had to laugh when I thought about telling my child it's "not smiling time." This could very well be the first thing on his list when he goes to therapy one day!

Ahhhh, Sleep!
Max actually slept for 4 hours straight when I first put him down last night and then only woke up one other time til morning! Sleep, glorious sleep!! He is teething somethin' fierce and has been waking up about 3-4 times before midnight and then another 2-4 times before morning so it has been reminiscent of the first couple weeks home for a while now. I have been desperate for a decent night's sleep. I don't harbor any high hopes that this is our new pattern since these teeth have yet to appear, BUT it is wonderful to feel a little more rested for the first time in weeks.

Breastfeeding Tip
Since I have a few friends out there who are currently breastfeeding, I thought I'd share a tip that my sister passed along to me the other day. If you are trying to pump and not having great success (I was pumping several times a day for 20 minutes at a time only to get .5 to 1 ounce a day total for a couple weeks!!), try feeding your baby on one side while pumping on the other side. I was amazed at how much more milk I got by doing this! It was quite precarious and I could've used a 3rd hand, but it worked so well it was worth the trouble. Thanks Katie!

While I'm on the subject of breastfeeding, check out my friend Loree's new blog on the right. Loree is a new mom (Tahli, 7 months) and has had a bit of a roller coaster ride with breastfeeding. She's stuck it out, but it hasn't been easy.

Happy Sunday!

Daily Schedule?
I am always feeling like I'm not doing enough with Max during the day, but we don't watch TV, we read, play with toys and go on walks. What do you do all day (or did you do if your little ones are older) when you have an infant? Just curious!!!

A Snowy Day

Mabel came over to make some Valentine's cards today. It started snowing and she enjoyed eating the snow and taking a walk. I had forgotten how when you're little you don't seem to notice the cold on a snowy day. I remember being able to stay out all day and still be ready to go out for more! We had a great time!

Getting ready to go on a walk!

Mommy can't resist a cute hat! I'm not sure what to think!

Cake!

Max's Nana had this adorable Noah's Ark cake made for the baptism. It was delicious!!

Baptism

Max was baptized yesterday! We were so blessed to have a large group of family and extended family (our life-long friends who we consider family!) attend the service with us. They all got to come up to the front of the church with us to stand and say that they would help Max grow in faith. It was really special!