You know it's time to sweep when.....

Crunchy stuff keeps sticking to your feet and upon glancing at all the nooks & crannies of the kitchen you realize you have enough "crunchy stuff" to fill a cereal bowl - it might even look like granola!! Yeah, so my floors are (relatively) clean now. Don't judge me! : )

Thinking of Adopting? Check This Out!

Oh my goodness, I have just been moved to tears. So, of course I had to share this with my faithful few followers. When Sarah Palin came on the scene a few months ago, much discussion centered on the fact that she had an infant born with Down Syndrome. In one of the articles written about her, a statistic was given that made me so sad and angry: 83% of women who learn they are having a child with DS choose to abort the baby. I was outraged about this figure and kept my mourning about it in the back of my mind. So in Sunday's Washington Post, I was thrilled to see an article on people who are specifically adopting children with Down Syndrome. In fact, there are about 200 people on a waiting list right now! I wish all the people who felt that having a child with DS is too much for them to handle would learn about this. I understand we are all at different places in our lives and feel we can handle different levels of stress and I could never assume to know what it's like to be put in the shoes of a parent learning his child isn't "perfect", but what if these women who choose to abort their babies with DS were made aware that there are families out there who would LOVE to have to chance to raise their baby? A statistic given in the article also stated that in the majority of cases, when a woman learns her baby has Down Syndrome, she is not often told that adoption is a very viable option.

If you or anyone you know has ever felt the call to adopt and think this is something that might interest you, please go to this website. You can see children currently awaiting families as well as donate money if you feel like it. If it moved you as much as me, let me know!

Chase-A-Baby!

Chase-A-Baby = the most fun game in the whole world to play with Dad!

Taking a break from the action to try and grab Mommy's camera.

Happy Halloween!

Behold! The Terror of Manassas.....











We went to church for Trunk-or-Treat and it was really fun. Lots of church members decorated their trunks and passed out candy. There was also an inflatable movie screen on which old- timey cartoons were projected. There was a hayride, a moon bounce, snacks, a little play area for the little kids and an area for people to have their pictures taken. The pictures were immediately printed out and people could make frames for them at a craft table. Max enjoyed looking at everything and dancing to the music they had playing. Here are some more pictures and a video for your enjoyment! Don't forget to click, "Slideshow" to see the pictures in a larger format.

Talking!

Max is starting to talk! He has been saying "Mama" for a long time, but now he also says "hat", "hot" and "hi" - which all sound exactly the same, "haa". We just have to use context clues to know which one he's saying. He also signs them so that helps. Now if only he would say "Dada"!

Adventures in Babysitting

Lots of little adventures going on 'round these parts. Let's see... probably the biggest one was Mabel & Weston staying with us this weekend. It was their first time ever staying overnight without their mommy and daddy, so it was a pretty big deal. I didn't really know how to plan, so I spent a lot of time marvelling at how much more difficult it was for me to keep the house/kitchen tidy with two more kids than usual. I learned a few lessons over the weekend:

1.) Paper products are my friend (plates, utensils).

2.) Keep track of cups, otherwise you'll go through all the cups you own before lunch.

3.) Two and four-year-olds can stay up until 11 p.m. and wake at 5 a.m. even though at home they fall asleep by 7:30 p.m. and don't wake til 12 hours later.

4.) The most fun thing in the world is taking a bath with your cousins!

Overall, a fun time was had by all. We made brownies and pizzas and read books and played and played and played and did I mention all three kids taking a bath together?? Max missed the busy-ness when he woke up Monday. Here are some pictures of our weekend.

Cute Max Videos

Here are 2 new Max videos. The first is him trying "cuddle" a piece of the banana he was eating for snack - silly boy! The second is my attempt at capturing his near-obsesssion with watching planes flying overhead. Enjoy!

How Rude!

I generally like to stay upbeat in my blog posts, but I have a major pet peeve I need to vent about. What is the deal with people who are walking or jogging BY THEMSELVES and don't move out of the way when someone with a stroller or dog(s) passes them? Ever since I got my dog, Jake, (okay, he's not MY dog anymore since I am a deadbeat dog mom, but that's another post ), I have noticed that there are lots of either (a.) clueless or (b.) rude people out there who are fine with me having to go into the street or onto the grass to avoid them when it would be much simpler and less dangerous for them to step aside. If you have to step into the street with a dog, there's a much greater chance of being hit by a car because of the volume of space you occupy with a person and an animal. That goes for strollers too. I really thought that maybe the clueless/rude bunch were just animal haters but now I see it goes for babies too! In the last few days I have come upon at least 5 people (all grown ups!!) who, upon seeing me approach with Max, look me dead in the eyes and basically play a game of "chicken" with me as if to say, "If you think I'm moving for you and your little brat, think again, Breeder!" I don't think I deserve special treatment because I have a baby, I just think this is common courtesy. I would, and do, extend the same courtesy to others if I happened to be walking alone. Has anyone experienced this? Am I being unreasonable?

Oh My Goodness My Baby is SO CUTE!! Oops, did I just say that outloud??

Max had his one year pics taken today with Rashmi, the same person who took my maternity and Max's newborn photos. If you click on her blog, you can see a few pics from the session. She usually posts quite often, so if you look later in the week you may have to scroll down and find the blog entitled "Max". I highly recommend her if you've ever thought of having non-studio pictures taken. It's not cheap, but the photos will be priceless and so will the experience! Now it's time to start saving for his 2 year photos!!

Pumpkinville

Nana, Daddy, Max & Friend

Daddy, Mommy & Max on the hayride
Nana, Daddy & Max on the hayride

Nana & Pappy came down yesterday and took us to Pumpkinville at the Leesburg Animal Park. It was really fun. There were donkeys, pygmy goats and other animals in pens to look at as well as a "contact area" with animals such as sheep, goats, llamas and pot bellied pigs that you could walk right up and feed and pet. Then we went on a fun hayride and Max sat in our laps the whole time. He got to go in a moon bounce by himself, but was quickly joined by some "big boys" ending his first moon bounce experience. I took him down a giant slide and he was terrified, but once he got to the bottom, he signed "More" and "Please" over and over. He went down a total of five times and never appeared less terrified, but was equally eager to go again at the end of each run. To top it all off, there was all-you-can-drink-cider and all-you-can-eat- apples, only it should've been called "all-you-can-drink-out-of-a-Dixie-cup-the-size-of-a-shot-glass- cider", but the apples were normal sized! On our way out we each got a baby pumpkin. The weather was perfect and Max enjoyed it more than I expected him to. Thanks Nana & Pappy! Check out this link for more pics.

Mommy & Max Sick for 3 Days + Rain + Now Daddy's Sick = GET ME OUT OF THIS HOUSE!!!

So how are you doing? We're doing just swell, thank you! It's been a fun couple of days and is now ending with the grand finale of Matt catching what we had, but hey, it was raining anyway so it's not like we could go out and enjoy the weather or anything (anything meaning we missed: birthday parties, babysitting engagements, opportunites for socializing and tons of church events ) BUT, today I was determined that Max and I were going to do at least SOMETHING I had originally planned to do this weekend before the attack of the flu/cold/notstrepthroatbutreallyhurtythroat thing Wednesday night.

So we went to an alpaca farm. Actually, we went to two. I've loved alpacas since I took my class to the Double "O" Good Alpaca farm in Gainesville, VA several years ago. They are so cute and gentle and amazingly clean animals. They look so adorable when they've just been shorn, almost like a furry ET. I knew they would be good animals for Max to go see. He enjoyed looking at them and we even fed one. We also got to feed Rosebud the llama. I should've known better, but I held the feed pellets in a cup in the same hand I was holding Max and then fed Rosebud from my other hand, as Rosebud was chomping away, Max was also chomping away, he had helped himself to the pellets! The owner assured me that there was nothing in it that would hurt him, but I have noticed him spitting a lot more. I kid! I kid! Here's a link to the rest of the pics. If you click "slideshow" at the top you can see bigger versions of the pictures.

You Mean My Baby is Going To Have a Mind of His Own One Day?? HELP!

I'm not sure why this is just occurring to me now, perhaps it was my lack of finesse at handling a little skirmish by a couple of the 4 year-olds in Sunday School yesterday (my first day teaching the class!), and then the off-hand comment someone made that "that's how boys are so you'd better get used to it"*, but as of today, I am officially floundering in Mommyland. I mean, I know Max has a couple months before he really hits the terrible twos, but I already see the writing on the wall. Mabel will be playing with something and Max meanders over to look and she gets territorial, but Max continues trying to get whatever she has. Then Weston has a toy and Max wants it so he tries to take it. Thankfully, at this point, Max doesn't really protest if I redirect him, but having witnessed the last year of Mabel & Weston's interactions, I know that the day is coming when he will fight to the death to get his paws on some tempting item. So I need the help of all my friends who have been down this road already. What are some good books to read on how to handle battles between kids and other discipline/growing up issues? I also would be happy to have some ideas for how you handled the inevitable fights over sharing. I feel like I was really prepared for the infant stage, but not for the social skills training, limit testing, independence-grasping years that we're on the brink of. HELP!!!

*I know it's not just a "boy thing" - As I told some people the other night at Mabel's birthday party while she was in her new Cinderella dress - She's just as likely to tackle someone in that dress as she is to dance around. Girls can be rough and tumble too!*

Have We Gone Too Far??

"I deserve a paper plate that's as strong as I am." What?????? I just heard this on a TV ad and HAD to post it! It was a "busy mom" character who was reflecting on what she deserves in life. While some advertisers have been playing to the whole concept of empowering women for a while now (case in point: the Dove "Campaign for Real Beauty") and that's great, I think this is going over the edge. It just seems like something you'd hear on one of those fake ads on Saturday Night Live, not on a real ad. Does this strike anyone else as funny????? What are some other petty things we can add to the list of things we deserve? "I deserve toilet paper that's as strong as I am" I'd love to hear your ideas so post 'em!

Our Super Fun Weekend!

Mabel, Weston & Max hang out at Nana & Pappy's House

We had a really fun weekend last week! We went to Pennsylvania to Matt's parent's house and the best part was that my sister's family came too and so did my brother, Josh. Mabel (4) and Weston (2) had a great time at Nana & Pappy's house while the grown-ups went to the Pennsylvania Renaissance Festival. Max's Aunt Sara and her boyfriend, Adam, came over and helped Matt's parents all day Saturday. I think the kid's favorite activity was swimming in Nana & Pappy's pool. I don't think Mabel had ever seen an inground pool in someones yard so she was amazed. She was also excited about the "magic bed" she got to sleep it (pull-out sofa)!

The Renaissance Festival was fun. I always enjoy seeing what some of the patrons consider renaissance costumes. You get $4 off your entry fee if you come in period dress and let me just say that I didn't know cleavage could be hoisted that high. Also, I'm not sure a French maid costume counts as "period dress", thank thee very much.

A fun time was had by all. Here are some more pictures of our weekend.

Oh, and on another note - congratulations to Kyle & Tavia on the birth of their little girl!

Some things to remember

Dear Max,
You are 12.5 months old now. So many things have happened over the last year, I wonder how many of them I've already let slip away from my memory. Tonight as I was reading you bedtime stories I was thinking of how much I love our bedtime routine and it occurred to me that a few months or years from now, our routine will be different and I wondered if I would remember the specifics of why I enjoyed our time together. So here are some things I love doing with you so that one day we can both look back at this and remember:

At Bedtime:

• I love reading you Goodnight Moon and pointing out all the objects as they're named.
• I love seeing you get excited when I ask if you want to brush your teeth. It's even better when you stick your finger in your mouth and pretend you're brushing.
• I love holding up two books and having you reach for the one you want to read, and I love that usually the book you choose is Max's Birthday.
• I love when you put your foot up over and over again for me to kiss when I'm nursing you.
• I love when I say, "You want to cuddle Mommy?" that you let me hold you and rock you and rub your back and sing to you, even if it's just for a second.
• I love singing to you, especially "Mama's Little Baby", "Hush Little Baby", "Jesus Loves Me" and of course, the "Belly Button Song".

Other times:

• I love taking you outside or to the window to look for airplanes and seeing you get so excited when we spot one.
• I love seeing you sit in the hallway yelling, "Ah! Ah! Ah!" to hear the echo.
• I love seeing you toddle around pushing your green push toy, looking so proud and accomplished as you amaze yourself that you can actually walk.
• I love seeing you pretend that everything is a phone and how you hold the object backwards to your ear (or rather behind your ear) and then shout, "Haaaaaaaaaaa!" over and over.
• I love how excited you get when I ask if you want to take a bath.
• I LOVE how you like to cuddle anything soft and will almost freefall onto things that look cuddly to you like Mama Bunny or the down comforter.
• I love how you tilt your head to the side and grin when anyone asks, "Are you so cute?"
• I love how you get so excited to see Daddy and reach for him and how you seem to feel content and secure when we have a big hug with Mommy, Daddy & you.

Most of all, I love you. I hope to make many more lists like this as you grow so we will always remember the little moments that add up to a life well-lived.

Love, Mommy

When Door Locks Attack

Here's the punch line of this story - the lock that my father-in-law Doug worked so hard to install last week on our front door (think hotel-style latch for super safety) is the "now defunct lock Doug worked so hard to install."

Here's what caused Max and me to be out front in our jammies for 45 minutes this morning: We waved bye to Matt as he left for Richmond this morning. I closed the front door and locked and latched it. Then we played for a couple hours. Finally, it was time for a bath and a nap, but before we went to do that I thought I'd take Max out to the deck to look for planes. We are in the flight path for Dulles airport so there's almost always a plane to see. I proceeded to close the sliding glass door when all of the sudden, the safety bar fell from the standing position into the horizontal position, locking us out from the back. I frantically hoped that I hadn't latched the lock on the front door and peered through the SGD to see, yes I had. So, after a few words that I hadn't planned on teaching Max were muttered under my breath, I rushed down the deck stairs praying I hadn't locked that door. ARRRGGHHH, yes I had. When did I become so diligent with our personal safety??????????? Then I remembered I had placed a lock box with a spare key on the fence, so I congratulated myself for doing something right and got that and prayed that the safety latch had miraculously jumped off. No such luck, but at least I had 2-3 inches of room to work with.

I swallowed any pride I had left and went to my next door neighbor's house and they spent 45 minutes helping in any way they could. Just when I thought a call to the locksmith or maybe even the non emergency police was inevitable, Sam (my neighbor/hero who I had only met in passing prior to this morning) was able to get the latch off by pounding it with a wrench. There's a nice messed up patch in the wood from all of that, but it was cheaper than a locksmith and got Max and I back inside much more quickly. Oh and Max also had a nice smelly dirty diaper while we were out there. But I guess I don't care as much about my car as I do my house, because my car was unlocked and I was able to find a diaper and some wipes in it. See, I knew my messy car would pay off eventually!

So that was our adventure this morning. Hope your morning was better than mine!

First Hair Cut & 12 Month Stats!

Before: I don't know why people were starting to say, "Oh, she's so cute!"

After: Definitely a boy!

We went to Cartoon Cuts and he did great. They gave us a certificate for his baby book as well as a little Ziploc bag of his curls to keep. It took all of about 5 minutes to take him from baby to little boy. Thankfully the stylist left the curls in the back! Here are some more pictures of our playtime today.

We also went to the doctor for Max's 1 year check up today. He weighed in at 25 lbs (up from 22 lbs at 9 months) and 30.5 inches. He was in the 75th percentile for everything. Way to be consistent little guy!

Another Birthday Shot

Mommy & Daddy with the birthday boy. Doesn't he look thrilled?

Daddy Time

The main reason we moved - so Max could have more Daddy time! It's definately worth it.

Birthday Party Recap

Mommy & Daddy prepare to make the cakes - one for Max and one for everyone else
Mabel, Max & Weston play with the new toys
Max enjoyed the frosting and couldn't have cared less about the cake
Max tries on Grandpa Allen's glasses

Max had a mostly great birthday! We had a yummy dinner of strawberry spinach salad, grilled chicken and baked potatoes and of course cake and ice cream for dessert - but I forgot to take any pics of the cake! I was hoping Max would dig into his cake with abandon, but instead he carefully got all the frosting off with his hands and then licked his fingers. As usual, he enjoyed all the attention being on him. Later he had his first bowl of ice cream ever. He loved all the junk food, but we paid for it later! He was up 1/2 the night, my guess is he had a tummy ache. I later thought about it and realized he probably had the adult equivalent of a whole tub of frosting and a 1/2 gallon of ice cream for his little body. That's enough to make anyone sick.

He got lots of fun toys and our house was pretty well put together after moving two days earlier. It was a special time with family and a few friends. Check out the rest of the pictures here.