You FINALLY got your 12 month shots today. It's about time! You've been one for quite some time now. You did amazing! I gave you some tylenol before we left, but you're such a trooper I'm not sure you even needed it. You are becoming such a well behaved little boy Max. You just sat in my lap and waited patiently for your turn. When the nurses did give you your shots you started to cry. It was heartbreaking. REALLY heartbreaking. It was such a sad, devastated cry. Once they finished I picked you up and you were good as new... except for the grudge you now hold against those poor nurses. They gave you a sucker and you wouldn't even open your mouth for it. When you finally got a little taste of it I was able to convince you to take it from them, but you refused to put it in your mouth until they had left the room. Seriously, the second they closed the door you stopped glaring at them and proceeded to eat your well deserved sucker. You're so great Max. I love you!
11th
You decided to try out a few new things today! First of all you've started walking places without us reaching our arms out to you! It won't be long now and you're going to be RUNNING! You also said your second "real" word (besides Mama and Da Da), your first being "look." You plainly told your dad "NO." This was prompted by him telling you "no no" while you attacked the DVD player. I guess you didn't appreciate him setting boundaries and told him what you thought about them. Crazy kid. I'm so glad you have already learned that word... though I shouldn't be surprised since you seem to prompt us to say it ALL THE TIME! But you totally made up for your sassiness to Dad by giving him 2 adorable kisses. These were his very first from you. Like I've said before, you are extremely STINGY with them! I can't remember the last time I got one!
10th
You are the sweetest baby boy alive. Your Daddy taught you to give eskimo kisses. So now when he puts his nose on yours you move your head back and forth and rub your nose against his. ADORABLE!
7th
Yesterday your dad and I were talking in the kitchen near the laundry room when we suddenly heard banging coming from the washer and dryer. We were confused because the dryer was the only one running and wouldn't normally make that noise. After a second Dad looked at me and said, "You don't think that's Max banging on the wall do you?" Since your crib is up against the wall opposite the washer and dryer we knew it was you. When we barged into the nursery to catch you in the act you just grinned at us like you were proud we understood your message. Apparently this method worked a little too well because this morning we woke up to you demanding your bottle by banging on the wall. It's effective, I'll give you that!
6th
You were talking to you Auntie Noelle on speaker phone today when you suddenly leaned forward and kissed her picture on my phone. In doing so you unfortunately hung up on her, but it made her day. You are very particular and stingy with those sweet kisses of yours so she felt very honored. I love you sweet boy.
You did savagely attack you sister today though. I was in my room talking on the phone (since you and Zoey have decided that if I'm in sight you cannot continue playing with your toys but must climb all over me whining and crying for me to hold you) when I heard Zoey start to scream. From the intensity of her cry I knew something had to be terribly wrong and came running out to find that you had knocked the dining room chair over on top of her head. Poor baby girl! You of course had no idea what you had done and couldn't seem to understand what all the fuss was about. Zoey was fine luckily, just a little hurt and probably very scared! I really hope you don't innocently kill your little sister!!
5th
Today Zoey was screaming at me and I put my hand over her mouth to quiet her. When you saw me do this you got very concerned at crawled over and proceed to try to pull my hand away from her face. Of course your attempts were just making her more upset since you were scratching at her face in your attempts, but it was still a very sweet gesture... even though it made me feel a little bit like a monster since you felt the need to save Zo from your mean Mom. Afterward you kissed her on the forehead. You are honestly becoming the sweetest baby ever. I'm so glad you're mine.
4th
Happy 4th of July Maxers! It's may not be your first but it may as well be since we spent the last 4th at home trying to recover from the sudden change in our sleeping habits due to the happy addition of a certain little baby boy!You are feeling 100% better (thank goodness for antibiotics!) and had a fantastic day! We started the day by attending the grand Rexburg parade. It was a very fun time and you especially enjoyed the cheerleaders, the drums and the cute girl you found to hold you in her lap almost the entire time... you are shameless! After a quick nap we tried out the super fun splish-splash pool your Auntie Noelle and Uncle Chan got you and Zo. You LOVED it! You both played for close to an hour before you got tired of it. That is pretty remarkable for two little people with very short attention spans! We of course ended our fun filled 4th by watching a firework show. You got a little restless waiting for it to start (which could have something to do with the fact that you Dad got us there WAY too early) but you kept yourself entertained by constantly trying to escape. You were very intrigued by all the glow sticks everyone but you seemed to have. When the fireworks did start you were in awe. Before the big ones even started you were mesmerized by the little ones nearby. We started pointing the out to you and telling you to "look." It wasn't long before you started pointing at them and saying "wook!" It was SO adorable Max! You're getting to be such a big boy! When the firework show you were in love. You just stared at them the entire time and continued to point and tell us to wook. I'm so glad we got to share this experience with you. It was a great day.
3rd
I found a bite mark shaped bruise on your upper thigh today. I guess Zoey finally decided to seek revenge now that she has her two front teeth and returned the favor!
July 2011
30th
HAPPY PLACEMENT DAY LITTLE MAN! One year ago today you were placed in our arms and we became a family. One the happiest days of our entire lives! We LOVE you Max! SO SO MUCH!
You had your 1 year check up today and you were supposed to get your shots. Unfortunately you woke up from your 3 1/2 hour nap running a pretty good fever. I gave you some tylenol which lowered it a little but when the nurse took your temperature it was still 100.3! Because of this you will have to get your shots another day... I'm not so sure this wasn't some master plan of yours... but if it was you are pretty incredible. You have strep. Again. Poor little guy. After we picked up your prescription and some peach yogurt for your sore little throat you completely crashed on me. It was kind so sad but at the same time so incredibly sweet. You were sleeping on me, mouth wide open, just like you did one year ago. Oh I love you so much. We battled your fever all night. It kept going up and down. It spiked all the way up to 103.3! You took two cold baths and ate a couple of otter pops and LOTS of tylenol and ibuprofen and you did wake us up one time in the middle of the night, but we made it. I'm so sorry your so incredibly sick baby. The strangest part is that it hit you so fast! you were fine this morning before your nap and then so sick after.
*****28th*****
HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY LITTLE MAN!
Today is the day!! You're very first birthday! One year ago today you came into this world. One of the happiest days of our entire lives. We love you so incredibly much Max and will be forever grateful that you were born and that you are ours. You are honestly the most amazing, incredible little boy I have EVER met. You never cease to amaze me with your sense of humor and your pretty face :) You are one studly, intelligent, and hilarious little boy. I am loving every second I have with you and cannot wait to continue to watch you grow and learn. I love you more than I ever thought possible. You are my world little man. I am so glad you're here!
We started the day out right and after I sent the men of the house (you and Dad) to the grocery store to get supplies, I made you homemade banana pancakes, which you loved. Then we played with your toys as a family and put you down for a nap. We knew you would need your rest for the day we had planned for you! When you woke up we took you to your new favorite place - THE SPLASH PARK! You were in heaven, and obvious a seasoned pro now that you have already been there. About 30 minutes after we got there you decided that you had outgrown the baby area and began demanding we explore the other, bigger fountains. After spending FOREVER in the water and your little teeth were chattering you took a walk around the park on your Daddy's shoulders. Then we went on a carousel ride together! You seemed to enjoy it. Then we went home, changed into dry clothes and we took you and Zo out to dinner! You LOVED Winger's popcorn and even learned how to drink out of a straw! You were quite fascinated by the concept and drank an entire glass of water! Hopefully your diaper holds up tonight! Finally, because it was your birthday, they brought you a warm, gooey cookie with a scoop of ice cream. You lucky lucky boy. I hope you had a GREAT day! Happy birthday little man. We LOVE LOVE LOVE you!
25th
Today was your birthday party! You had an absolutely fantastic time. We had a big BBQ in the park and you dined on your favorites: hot dogs and watermelon. Then came the cake! You patiently waited for the singing to end and then dug into the head of your Very Hungry Caterpillar cake. The antennas were made out of bendy straws which you found so fascinating and fun to chew on that they distracted you from the pile of sugar for a good 5 minutes! You were absolutely adorable. Unfortunately we did have to clean you off with some ice cold water and wipes afterward, but it was for a good cause. Next up was presents! You got spoiled! You are going to be the best dressed one year old ever! You also got some very fun toys including a tractor and a super cool splish splash pool complete with a dolphin slide from your Uncle Chan and Auntie Noelle! You also tried one of the gift bags on as a hat. You're too cute. By the end of the day you were completely worn out, but you had a lot of fun.
24th
YOU ARE WALKING!!!! This time it's for real. You just suddenly decided it was time and this is not just a couple of hurried steps either! You are really doing it! Even pausing to catch your balance along the way. Just one day before your big birthday bash! You're a smart baby! The absolute best part was the HUGE smile you had plastered on your face the entire time. You were just as proud as I was.
22nd
Today I took you and Zo to the SPLASH PARK! It was really really crowded and you were a little intimidated at first and hid behind my legs from the water and all the splashing. It took a little time and a little persuasion but you came around and ended up having a BLAST! You loved playing and splashing in the water. You even got a hold of a gogurt and squeezed it so hard while I was trying to feed it to you that you squirted everyone around you. I gave up and sat you in the grass at a safe distance and let you go at it. I don't know how much you actually ate but you were completely covered! And extremely happy! Good thing we had water near by to clean your sticky self off!
21st
You went to the dentist today for the very first time! You did FANTASTIC! You calmly laid on the table watching Finding Nemo while they inspected your little chompers. You looked absolutely adorable with the head phones on your little head. I was very surprised at how well you did. I was sure that someone was going to get bit! The dentist was very impressed with how white your beautiful teeth are! It's all the brushing you do!
19th
You are an extremely smart boy Max. You've taught yourself to unscrew lids, as evidenced by your sippy cup mishap yesterday. Today we found you and Tucker in the pantry with the container of animal crackers opened shoving as many crackers as you could into your mouths. No wonder Tucker adores you. He somehow knew how useful you were going to become!
18th
Grandma and Grandpa Perrenoud invited us to go to the ZOO with them today! We had a fantastic time looking at all the animals. The only thing was that you ended up without pants the whole day. On the drive to the zoo you managed to unscrew the top of your sippy cup and dumped all the water down the front of you. You were SOAKED. Luckily I had brought a hoodie in case it got chilly, so you sported that and a diaper. Unfortunately for you, you are getting big enough and your legs are long enough now that it was VERY obvious that you were not wearing pants. You're just not baby enough to pull that look off anymore I guess!
You also decided to spit up everywhere on the drive home and smear it into every surface you could reach including your shoes, carseat, and the back of the seat. This last place took special effort since you used your saturated shoes to do the smearing. You are a terror baby!
15th
And tooth #10. Nicely done little boy. You pratically have a whole mouth full of teeth and you're not even one yet!
12th
Tooth #9 suddenly appeared today! Thank goodness! Please go back to being a nice, sleeping baby again!
11th
I made blueberry pancakes for breakfast today! You, Zoey and Dad all LOVED them! You loved them very much. So much in fact that you ended up with them smeared all over your entire little body. And since there was some very sticky syrup mixed in thanks to your Daddy, you landed straight into the bathtub where he scrubbed you down. You're too cute Max.
6th
You were a tired boy. You didn't get up today until 11:30 AM!!! That is incredible baby!
You are really really into this peek-a-boo game. We have to be constantly watching for it because you are always grabbing random things to cover your face with and if we don't respond immediately you are very disappointed. I was playing peek-a-boo with Zo in the nursery tonight and when I came out you were in the hall with a dress over your face waiting for me. It was pretty great. I love you.
5th
Last night you woke up at 1:15 AM and decided it was time to play. I was so incredibly exhausted that after both Dad and I tried to calm you down and get you back to sleep I finally caved and put you in bed between us. You proceeded to play and clobber us for about 2 hours until I finally pinned you against me and held you until you fell alseep. This is the very first time you have ever slept in bed with us! Crazy boy. You cuddled me so close all night long. It was kind of nice... AFTER you had fallen asleep. Love you baby.
We went and saw your Joey today! It was so fun to finally see him again. You had a great time terrorizing their house and eating everything in sight. They had some very fun drums that you tried out. You really enjoy playing instruments. Your Joey got you the coolest toy ever. An activity center with a little slide, a basketball hoop and a baseball attached and a bat to hit it with (which you love doing, and have also used on your sister's head). They love you very much and were very happy to see you.
After your 2 hour break from sleeping last night, getting up 2 hours early, and refusing to sleep at all on the drive home, you were so sleep deprived that you became delirious. It was hilarious to watch you. At first you just thought everything was incredibly funny. And the you got to the point where you were hugging and kissing on the wall and you even picked up a laptop case with your mouth and started shaking it. Needless to say the you did eventually crash. It was a very busy weekend.
4th
We went to UTAH today for your early 1st BIRTHDAY party with your Sammi! First we stopped to see Grandma Rice for a little while, and then it was off to Sammi's! It was a fantastic party. You didn't hesitate one second when your piece of cake was put in front of you. In fact you got a pretty good swipe in before the entire cake was moved out of reach after the candles were blown out. Very fast baby. You immediately began shoveling the icing into your mouth and up your nose with both fists. It was adorable. You then proceeded to eat the entire piece of cake with a little help from your Minnie. You were spoiled with presents and got some awesome clothes and toys. Your favorites are definitely the Lightning McQueen activity racer and the my pal Scout. Lucky Lucky baby. Your Sammi even played Baby Einstein in their theater room for you! You were completely mesmerized. It was such a fun day.
2nd
Dad took you to the doctor today and forgot to turn on your DVD player in the car on the way there. You were very mature and understanding and when he put you in your carseat to come home you gently reminded him by pointing at the screen and saying, "Da Da Da." You are the greatest.
1st
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MONTH MAX!!
Today you found the foam visor you got for Easter and decided that it HAD to go on Zoey's head. You tried repeatedly much to Zoey's dismay. You're a smart kid!
June 2011
31st
Today Daddy took us to the nature park to feed the ducks! You and Zo and a BLAST! We pushed you around the park in your stroller and you just laid back and enjoyed the ride. When we would find ducks to feed you would lean way over to get as close to them as possible. It was a very fun time. After we were done feeding the ducks we played on the playground for a little while. You are not a fan of the slide. You kept grabbing onto the side and flipping onto your tummy. It is a little scary. But you excelled at the monkey bars. You impressed the other people there with your ability to hold yourself up. You are a crazy strong baby! Then on the way home we got you a lightly flavored watermelon snow cone. Your very first. Your initial reaction was to immediately spit it out, but you came around and ate almost the entire thing! It was a great day.30th
You managed to open the DVD player and pull the Baby Einstein DVD out of it. Not only did you manage to reach the DVD player, but you also pushed the right button. What are we going to do with you kid?!!?
29thYou are one athletic little boy! Daddy was tossing you a ball today and you picked it up and threw it right back to him. You did have a few crazy throws but the majority of them were surprisingly accurate. Very impressive.
You and your sister have decided that is is amusing to pull your bibs off as many times as possible during every meal. The velco on them is obviously no match for you two, so I took matters into my own hands. I sewed a button and an elastic loop onto the bibs last night and when you went to pull it off this morning... it didn't budge. Even when you furiously pulled with all your strength. Sorry baby. Mom wins this round.
28thYou are 11 months old today Maxers! I cannot believe how fast time has gone. I love you more and more every second. You are growing up to be the most incredible little boy. I cannot believe how devastatingly handsome you are and you become more so every day. You're little smile is entirely too powerful and will melt me every time. No matter what kind of mood I'm in, or how awful you have been, one smile fixes everything. You are such a strong boy. You are climbing on everything. In the store today you insisted I set you down and you immediately started your mission of pulling all the boxes of diapers off the shelves. You are hilarious. You make the most random noises and faces, and they're always so unexpected which makes them even better. You are jabbering a ton now. When you're sad or upset and you're whining to me, you are telling me exactly what's wrong, just not in a language I can understand. It's so cute to listen to you babble. You have the sweetest little voice. You pretty much eat nonstop, and you demand to be fed huge quantities of food as quickly as possible. You can eat your entire dinner in under 3 minutes. Yes. I timed you. It's kind of incredible. You also rather enjoy putting your food in your hair now so I'm always finding bits of oatmeal or pancake on your head. You are very destructive. You're crib has little bite marks all over it, and Zoey's has a few as well... ok and Zoey has some herself! You love to rip up paper and make as big a mess as you possibly can. You also have a soft side too and have become more affectionate to your Daddy. Your little hugs just make his day.
You are the most remarkable baby boy I have ever met. I love you. I love you. I love you. And I don't think I could ever stop. Thank you for being my sweet baby.
27th
You are getting so smart and learning so many new things! Today you just started pointing at everything. It was so cute to watch you figure it out. I am so grateful that I have the opportunity to spend all day every day with such incredible little people. Today you also learned a new aspect of peek-a-boo. I put a blanket over you head a couple of times and every time you pulled it off I would say "peek-a-boo!" It didn't take you very long at all before you started covering your own face with the blanket and then pulling it off with a huge expectant smile. You melt me every day Max. You are INCREDIBLE!
26th
You gave me KISSES! This time I am almost completely positive. You gave me couple sweet ones on the cheek and then a big slobbery one smack on the mouth. I love you so much!
Good news. I put you back in your sleep sack last night and you slept like a baby ALL night. I guess you're just not ready to give that comfy thing up!
25th
YOU ARE CRANKY! You have woke everyone up in the middle of the night for almost a week straight now and your mood is showing how everyone else is feeling. You had better have a good excuse little man... like growing new teeth, because our patience is starting to wear a little thin. Another idea would be to learn how to talk so you can tell us what it is you need at 2 AM!! I actually am thinking it might be teeth even though I can't see or feel anything because you have started biting my shoulder today. Repeatedly.
24th
I found very distinct bite marks on your beautiful changing table drawer. When I called your Dad in to see what our sweet baby boy had done, he asked you if you had done it. You responded with an irresistible coy smile. That was all it took and Dad said, "Well I guess that makes up for it." You have incredible power buddy!
23rd
When I walked into your nursery this morning to get you and Zo out of bed I said "Good morning babies!" and you proceeded to WAVE at me! Was it intentional? I'm not positive. Was it simply adorable. Definitely.
22ndI think you may have given me a kiss today. It was very sudden but you very intentionally smashed your open mouth on my chin... Gammy says you did the same thing to her last weekend and she also suspected it was a kiss. So thank you baby. It's about time you learned how to kiss! It's not like we aren't kissing on you ALL day EVERY day!
You must have really gotten into this whole kissing thing because today we caught you kissing your reflection in my piano. Yes, you are a beautiful baby. Of course you deserve as many kisses as you can get. And thank you for leaving your kissy marks all over my shiny piano! No really. Thank you. I LOVE IT! You're simply adorable.
You're new trick is to crawl underneath your exersaucer and hang out in there. Crazy kid.
21stFantastic. You have mastered the are of opening cupboard doors... and emptying them.
You are a puppy. Tonight when I undressed you for your bath instead of crawling into the bathroom you pulled yourself into the standing position in the hallway and proceeded to pee on the wall! I couldn't believe it. Tucker doesn't even do that anymore!
20th
You saw me grab your sleep sack tonight and immediately made a break for it... you're learning way to fast!
19th
You and Tucker fought over an empty water bottle ALL day today. I could find one of you with it almost the entire day. You carried it around like it was your best buddy. You're a silly boy.
16th
You started shaking your head "no" and grinning at me today... I'm fairly confident that you don't quite understand what that means yet, but I'm thinking you might have seen "someone" do that before... and so it begins. :)
15th
Today in church your lack of sleep (yes, you woke up at 7:30 AM and refused to go back to sleep) finally caught up with you. You were so completely exhausted that once I took you out into the foyer away from all distractions you immediately passed out on me. You slept in my arms for two and a half hours. It was pretty great to get all those cuddles from you. That hasn't happened in awhile. You are very independent sleeper. So maybe you are still my baby boy?!?
You have mastered the double fisted eating technique. You cannot shovel food in fast enough. People keep asking me if I'm starving you the way you attack food the second it's placed in front of you!
14th
You had a blast today playing with your cousins. I love that you don't even notice how much littler you are. You just think you're one of them and you played with them accordingly. In fact, you must think you are VERY big because you slept for a total of about 45 minutes ALL day and didn't even go to bed until after 9 PM. You must be absolutely exhausted!
13th
You had your first real book victim today. You loved on your favorite book Baby Bug just a little too much and ripped a few pages out. I taped it up good as new (well kind of newish... more like usable) and you proceeded to immediately rip out the same entire pages out of the book. I've decided that you two might need some time apart...
We drove to Boise again with Gammy and Gampy for McKenna's 4th birthday party. You took your usual nap from noon to about 2:45 PM and then we left. We didn't get to Uncle Eric's house until 9 PM and you did not sleep for a minute! That is crazy! Car rides put EVERYONE to sleep... and yet you, a little guy, managed to stay awake for the entire drive. Very impressive.
12th
You are in love with my sweet potato pancakes. You have one every morning and you're just as excited to eat them as you were the first time. You waste no time in devouring every last morsel and covering yourself with the gooey goodness. Today you managed to not only cover the expected face but you also left orange fingerprints on my white curtains and you styled your hair with it. You are out of control!
11th
Your poor sister! First she was hammered by you and then today you suddenly reached up, grabbed her by the back of her hair and pulled her to the ground. You are lucky she doesn't hold grudges and loves you so much!
10th
You have a toy hammer that is supposed to be used to play your xylophone. You have mastered this skill and so I guess you've decided to move on to moving objects... like your sister.
9th
You had your very first grilled cheese today. LOVED it! You gobbled it down so fast I couldn't believe it!
I have been bathing you every night for roughly 10 months, 1 week and 4 days now and you have NEVER pooped in the tub for me... until tonight. You've done it for Gammy a couple times, but never Mom... until tonight. Gross baby!
8th
It's my very first Mother's day and I have to say that I am probably the luckiest Mom ever. You and Zo are so amazing and I love being your mom more than anything in the world. You guys spoiled me rotten today. With a little help from Dad you gave me a gift certificate for a 2 hour pamper session at the spa! You have incredible taste when it comes to gifts! Nicely done :) You even gave me an extra special present just from you. You did what you were too scared to do yesterday. You took your very first steps today. Thank you baby boy.
7th
You are very official now baby! We FINALLY got your social security card! It's about time!
I was talking on the phone today watching you explore my bedroom when you suddenly let go of the bed and stood there contemplating walking. I froze and waited but you must have decided that it was just too risky and resumed your safe play. Wow! That was so crazy! You are growing up so fast Max! The fact that I even thought you could walk tells me that you are not my little baby anymore.
6th
Today my friend Jamie and her daughter came to see us. Maicee is 2 years old and yet you managed to scare/hurt her on multiple occasions. Towards the end though she did warm up to you and it was adorable to watch you two play together. She would fake sneeze "achoo!" and you would just laugh and laugh. So cute. You had no idea that you are much much smaller than her.
4th
You finally did it. The one thing that every child must do at some point in his life. Today was your day to do it. I found you in the bathroom with the toilet paper unrolled everywhere and you sitting there guiltily. Caught in the act. I'm not even mad baby :)
The other day while I was changing your dirty diaper I found undigested paper in it. Yes, it was still readable. This is something that the morkie has done on several occasions. You are such a little puppy Maxers!
2nd
Today was an absolutely beautiful day!! The sun was shining and we didn't have any other plans so we went and spent the afternoon with our friends down the street. You are loving the warm weather and the opportunity to explore the outside world. You were completely filthy by the time we came home from eating and playing with the hose, the sidewalk chalk, dirt, random balls and toys you found laying on the ground, and who knows what else. It was a great day.
1st
You are trying out a new high pitched screeching scream lately. This morning while Dad and I laid in bed listening to you and Zoey wake up you randomly gave us a demonstration of this new noise. It was so unexpected and HIGH that Dad and I both busted up laughing. You're going to keep us laughing little man. I can feel it!
May 2011
30th
This morning you had the most impressive, disgusting, repulsive blow out to date. I unzipped your sleep sack to find that you were soaking wet from your waist to your toes! I am not even exaggerating! It was literally wet down to your toes! When I saw this I couldn't help but laugh. It was pretty impressive. And then upon removal of your sopping pajamas, I found that you had poop up to your shoulder blades. Awesome. So I had to scoop that off of your back and the wash you completely down with wipes. These are days I'm going to remember!
29th
You have totally figured out what it means to be chased. I didn't quite catch that last night when you ran from me, I guess I was too focused on your crash, but tonight it became very apparent that you understand the concept. I had just finished lotioning you up and reached for your pajamas when you took off again, looking over your shoulder at me the whole time. This time however, you were giggling in anticipation. You pulled yourself up on the side of the crib and waited. When I grabbed you, you started laughing. Oh I love you.
28th
You're 10 months old little man! Congratulations! You are just getting so big and SO mobile! If I turn my back to you for a second you are off terrorizing anything and everything within your reach. You are a seasoned pro at crawling and walking along furniture now. You can pull yourself up onto pretty much anything. It really won't be long before you take off running! Can't wait! You are starting to get quite the temper though. And you are more than just a little stubborn! It used to be that I could take away things you're not supposed to have, such as cell phones, remotes, the iPad, without too much resistance. That however has changed. Now if I take something from you, not only do you scream at me in fury, but you come at me to try to get it back! Now that's a little scary! You are also picking up some super fun habits. You like to rub your face back and forth against me, leaving all your excess saliva and snot on me. You are always spitting and refuse to give this disgusting habit up. See? Stubborn. Tucker isn't even safe anymore. You now follow him and take/take back things from him. In fact, he has found that the top of the couch is now his safe haven and we have been finding ALL of his toys stashed up there on the windowsill! Yes, you have also claimed his toy box as your own and can be found digging through his precious loot quite often. You have reclaimed your love for baths and your distaste for getting out. You are sleeping AMAZINGLY and you hardly even fuss when I put you down for naps or for bed. You have however been throwing these incredible tantrums anytime you see me/want me and can't get to me for whatever reason. And since you're now mobile you follow me everywhere you can. It's flattering but sometimes I am very ready for some alone time by the time it's bedtime. But I love you little boy. I love you so much and I always will. I am so grateful that I am able to be your mommy (which by the way you now call me "ma" - which I love).
Tonight after I took off your diaper to put you in the bath you took off crawling away from me at turbo speed looking over your shoulder at me the entire time. Since you were looking at me to see if I was following you, you didn't see that you were crawling right into the back of the couch. ha ha That was pretty great Max.
27th
You are getting so chubby little man! You newborn double chin has now returned in all its glory. In fact I found a cracker crumb wedged between your two chins today. But don't you worry. I love EVERY ounce of you!
You have really taken to playing the piano every chance you get. It seems like every time you crawl by it you can't help but pull yourself up and play. The only problem with this (besides all the help I get from you while I'm playing) is that Tucker finds it very confusing. You see Dad has trained Tucker to go into "attack mode" every time he plays his version of the Jaws theme song. So now every time you happen to play on the low keys he perks up expecting a good wrestle only to find that it is you, someone he is not allowed to play fight with, and not a worthy opponent. :) Poor puppy. This is only one of the hardships he's had to endure since you guys arrived. We had to put up a baby gate to the kitchen to protect his food and water dishes and my kitchen drawers, which you have been helping yourself to lately. You have managed to break the bottom drawer a few times now. You pull it out as far as it will go and then try to crawl into it which knocks it off its tracks and bends the wheels. Dad it not too happy about having to take it apart to fix it every time you have the whim to destroy our kitchen :) Anyway, you have not found the baby gate to be that offensive yet, but the puppy hates it.
25th
Today you and Zo had your very first oatmeal. Now I don't mean the lame baby cereal oatmeal. I'm talking about the REAL deal. You LOVED it and gobbled it right down. I was relieved because you see, being the mean mom that I am I just got you the normal plain old original kind. Not the yummy flavored kind with all the sugar in it. But you just don't know any better yet and I'm going to keep it this way for as long as I can!
I had a laundry basket sitting the in the living room full of baby clothes that I had folded last night while you and Zo were in bed. Before I had the chance to put them away in the nursery you found it and dumped them all out. You are oh so helpful Maxers!
You have this nasty habit of stealing anything and everything that you think looks interesting from your sister. Today however she had something that you very much wanted but could not manage to take from her. It was her foot. :)
You are really getting into this whole brushing your teeth thing. You even attempted to brush Tucker's teeth this morning! I guess now that you understand the importance of regular brushing you feel compelled to share this knowledge with those you care about!
24th
HAPPY EASTER BABY BOY! You looked so incredibly handsome in your Easter suit. Seriously, the most handsome boy at church. Maybe tied with Dad, but that's pretty impressive. It looked like you were just a little man ready to go to work. I loved it! The Easter Bunny brought you some pretty cool stuff including some toys cars (finally! you've been wanting some for awhile now!), alphabet magnets (you've already fed the "v" to Tucker), a Veggie Tales movie, and your very own TOOTHBRUSH! I guess he figured since you have a mouth full of teeth it was time you became concerned with your dental hygiene! You love brushing your teeth. You were very patient and let Dad brush them all really good first and then you took over and probably did an even better job. You're a sweet baby. Happy first Easter!
23rd
You had your very first Easter egg hunt at Grandma and Grandpa's house today! Since you're such a big boy you got to participate. Grandpa Bob carried you around and would hold you over an egg and you would pick them up. Very smart boy.
Tonight while I was getting you ready for your bath you peed in my lap. I looked up at you in surprise and you started giggling. Not funny Maxers.
22nd
You love Jello. The first time you tried it you gagged and paniced and spit it out, the slimy texture was confusing, but since the second bite you have loved it. Today I was eating some and had to sit on the floor, with you scooted right up next to me, and share it with you. You weren't overly enthusiastic about sharing it with me though. Like I said, you love Jello. It's understandable.
You had your first real plunge down the stairs unaided. It wasn't all the bad though. You somehow managed to stop yourself with the top of your head on the first step... not too far of a far luckily. The bad news was that you were stuck upside down and every time you wiggled trying to right yourself you slid down another step, still on your head. This lasted about 3 steps before I saved you. Could've been a lot worse, but I'm not sure it could've been any cuter.
A few months ago your poop suddenly started smelling like buttered popcorn. This was really confusing to us since that is what nursed newborn poop is supposed to smell like, not a 6 month old baby who is eating solids. But we didnt' complain. It was way better than the alternative! The bad news is that it smells like buttered popcorn no more. It was great while it lasted!
21st
We had such a fun day today! We had a family breakfast at Grandma Houdek's house. All the cousins (except for Zuleka) were there. The funniest thing happened though while we were eating. All the kids, including you, were in the living room playing when William starting crying. Out of curiosity I asked Aunt Melanie who had hurt him. She looked over to where he had been playing and said, "well, the only one near him was baby Max." It was confirmed when William announced that "Baby Max hurt me." You really are a bully!! You whacked him with a plastic bowling pin!
In the afternoon we went to play at Uncle Eric's house. It is so fun to watch you play like a big boy. You don't let the fact that you can't walk deter you! You are always following the older kids around and manage to join in the fun! You and McKenna were playing on the keyboard together when she broke out in song. She was being silly and you thought she was hilarious! You just laughed and laughed at her. I'm so glad you love your cousins.
Before we drove home Gammy and Gampy took us to JB's for dinner. You happily sampled the contents of the salad bar with a little help from Gammy. Your favorite item: watermelon. By a landslide. You consumed and entire piece, rind and all! We kept trying to rotate the watermelon so you would get the melon instead of the rind, but you were concerned that we were trying to take it away from you and would clamp your little hands onto it as tight as you could. And you are a STRONG baby! You are just loving all the new tastes and textures of big people food and cannot get enough! You did however embarrass Gampy with the humongous mess you and Zo left on the floor... and the fact that you managed to pull your legs out of the highchair, stand up using the table and dump an entire glass of water everywhere, all within seconds, didn't help the situation :)
20th
Cutest boy ever. You have decided that peek-a-boo is one of the coolest games ever and now give me a good laugh every time I play it with you. I must have stepped it up and am doing an especially good job because you now clap for me while you laugh. I love it!
19th
We drove to Boise yesterday with Gammy and Gampy to spend a few days with our family. We spent the night at Grandma and Grandpa Houdek's house. Later that night we went to visit Uncle Eric and his family. Things got a little hectic with so many people and kids running around. All of a sudden we look up to find you half way up Uncle Eric's HUGE staircase! You must think you've mastered them better than you really have because that would have been quite the tumble if we hadn't caught you! Little daredevil!
17th
Today is Daddy's birthday! His first as a dad. We had a party for him at Gammy's house. You had a great time sampling all the different foods on Dad's birthday menu. You even ate pineapple and spicy pickles! There really isn't much you won't eat!! You also provided us with some captivating entertainment. About 2 weeks ago Gammy tried to teach you to climb the stairs. You weren't interested and it wasn't until a week ago that you would even attempt them. Today however you decided to tackle them with full gusto! You started up the big set of stairs (a total of 12 steps!). Up you went without hesitation. Luckily I followed behind you so I could record your momentous victory over the staircase. You got to the very top and got confused by the absence of another step. You then decided to take a moment to rest and analyze the situation and promptly plopped onto your little bum and began to tumble down the stairs. I immediately dropped the camera and caught you mid fall before you even hit the first step. You're welcome baby. I must have mom reflexes!
Today in church your poker face skills were tested. A little girl just one month older than you (Emily, who is so cute we call her your girlfriend) crawled over to see you. You stared blankly straight ahead and avoided any and all eye contact with her. You must be the master of the blank stare because she played with the buttons on your shirt and even grabbed your lower lip and received no response from you. That's quite the talent you have!
15th
We had pizza for dinner tonight. You LOVED it! You couldn't shove the crust into your mouth fast enough :)
14th
You adore ceiling fans. ADORE them. So today I took you to the lighting section at Lowes and let you bask in the beauty of a ceiling full of them :) You were not disappointed.
We took you and Zo to Subway for dinner tonight. You guys loved it! You just sat in your little highchairs and ate everything we had to offer. You even had your very first cheeto! YUM! You loved it, of course. You did do the funniest thing while we were there. Instead of using your hand or arm (like you usually do) to push the falling food back into your mouth, you leaned forward and tried to use the table. You are crazy a kid!
13th
You are literally Tucker in human form. Today you ate paper like Tucker, you crawled around like Tucker, you played with Tucker's toys, and you beg for "human food" exactly like Tucker. In fact you pull yourself up on our legs and beg for it just like a puppy I know. Tonight you dined the fine cuisine of chicken nuggets and broccoli. Both of which you very much enjoyed.
12th
Today turned out to be a BEAUTIFUL day so I laid out a blanket and some toys on the lawn and let you and Zo soak up some sunshine. You were slightly hesitant about venturing onto the grass, but before long you were off... and I found the remnants of some sort of plant/weed/branch in your mouth. Lovely.
You are a little stalker. No matter where I am you are almost always right there with me pulling yourself up on my legs...and occasionally pulling my pants off in the process.
You, the boy who loves baths over almost everything else in the world, have decided that you now despise them. I'm so glad. Just one more thing for us to battle over!!
Grandma Rice sent you guys a SPECTACULAR Easter package, which you received today. You are two very lucky babies :)
11th
Your tiny razor sharp teeth are deadly! How do I know this? Because you, Max Alan Perrenoud, decided to bite my collar bone today. And it hurt. VERY badly! My collar bone Max!?! Really?
You are one smart baby boy. Especially when it comes to food. Today I tried feeding Zoey her dinner while you were busy playing in the living room. This actually worked surprisingly well until you heard me open a jar of baby food. That little POP was all it took and you were on to us. You catch on quick little man!
10th
You are quite sickly little man. You have a VERY runny and therefore crusty nose. And you HATE HATE HATE it when I wipe it. It's going to be long week I guess!
9th
You bit your sister today. She was not pleased.
8th
You are becoming such a big boy Max. You are starting to entertain yourself, which I love! You are a very good independent player, and your favorite things are your books. :)
7th
We went to visit Gammy and Gampy again today. You are starting to figure their house out! Without really any instruction you have figured out how to climb stairs, something we don't have to worry about here at home, but you are now able to navigate all four levels of Gammy's house. Quite the accomplishment!
I did forget to bring something of vital importance with us to Gammy's house... you paci. I don't know how I could've forgotten! Luckily for all of us Gammy is quick on her toes and simply used the top of your bottle (which is the same brand and shape as your paci) and stuck it in your mouth. You were sure to let her know that you were not fooled and did not particularly care for the substitute, but you were tired enough that you let it slide. Funny boy.
6th
You are crawling EVERYWHERE! At very quickly I might add. Tuck's water dish was attacked yet again. You're hard to keep up with Max! You are really getting a hang of this mobility thing. You are climbing on the couches, the exersaucers, and even the TV. Pretty much everything. The cutest thing is that you mastered the dismount from standing to sitting. Your little diapered bum is just perfect for plopping down on. Even with all that padding (and sometimes there is more padding than others...) I'm still surprised at how resilient you are. You plop pretty hard and just keep on terrorizing!
You now enjoy some banana for breakfast every morning and it it adorable how you just take little bites of it, sometimes big ones that fill your cheeks, and proceed to chew and swallow like a big person. You're getting the hang of things!
You've started clapping for yourself spontaneously and in response to us trying to get you to do something. You are VERY proud of your accomplishments. As are we :)
5th
Sometimes when I shake the bottle to mix the formula the hole gets clogged making it impossible to get any milk out. When this happens to Zoey, she gets angry and throws the bottle and screams at me to fix it. You however decided to take care of things yourself this morning. I looked over to see what you were doing because you had been making very frustrated noises. You were sitting up trying to drink, something I had thought you had realized by now doesn't work, and figured that was the problem and you would figure things out yourself. I was right. A minute later I found you taking Zoey's bottle out of her mouth and attempting to drink hers. You are a very creative problem solver Max :)
YOU ARE CRAWLING LIKE A REAL BABY! This afternoon Grandpa Bob stopped by to see us and you decided it was a good time to just take off on your hands and knees... and you haven't stopped. I guess you finally figured out how much faster it is crawling on all fours than slithering from one thing to another.
4th
So I was taking your sheets off this morning to wash them and when I moved your Winnie the pooh he felt wet. Upon further investigation I found that his entire nose was soaked. You just sat in bed this morning sucking and chewing on his poor little nose! Crazy kid.As I was typing this I heard a clink from the other room and went running. Yes, you did just get into Tucker's water dish and soak yourself and the floor. Time for a baby gate!
Tooth number SEVENTH made it's grand appearance today! I'm thinking number 8 is on it's way as well. You now have four on top and three on the bottom :) Getting big so fast!
3rd
You woke up at 7:30 this morning!?!? What happened to my late sleepers? Daddy brought you in bed with us and even though it was obvious you were still very tired, you refused to go back to sleep. You did this by crying and yelling at us until we gave in and got up with you. On the plus side though you very clearly said "Ma." It's about time! I gave you an actual banana for breakfast this morning. You very much enjoyed it... and I very much enjoyed the HUGE mess you and your sister made :) I love you guys so much!
I have to say that I loved what a good baby you were today. You and Zo hardly napped at all and yet you were the happiest little man I've ever seen. You just played and played with your toys and books. I could definitely get used to this! It was so funny watching you play in your exersaucer. You suddenly decided that it was a jumper and started bouncing in it repeatedly. Zoey was very confused and annoyed at the racket you were making.
PS You COVERED your dad in spit up tonight, narrowly missing his face.
2nd
You are one funny kid Max. Today you ate Mac and Cheese for the first time... and maybe there were some peas in there too. I'm very surprised to say that you weren't thrilled with the meal. You ate some, but then every time Sammi would put a spoonful into your mouth you would clamp you mouth shut, wrinkle up your nose and do your sniffing trick. It was hilarious, but as time went on your expression became more and more angry and disgusted until you wouldn't take another bite. Seriously Max, what kid doesn't love Mac and Cheese!?!?By the way you are pulling yourself up on EVERYTHING in sight and getting really good at it. Your new trick today was walking around the coaches and pulling all of the throw pillows off. Real cute Max... at least for right now anyway :)
1st
Your Sammi came to see us today! It was so fun to spend time with her. She helped feed you dinner, we took you to the park, and she got you dressed in you pajamas. You're such a funny little boy though, you got very shy and reserved around her and nothing she did could get you to smile. Very serious baby you are. Your first time to the park and you didn't even smile once! You just had a blank face the entire time, complete with your adorable turtle lip :) Since you and Zo are still pretty little we were able to put you both in the baby swing at the same time, back to back. You kicked your legs the whole time. Not sure if you liked it or not since you were expressionless. Same thing with the teeter totter. We got nothing. No big deal though. You have all summer to learn to love the park!
April 2011
31st
Today we went to Idaho Falls to run some errands and I noticed something for the first time. You are becoming a shy baby! It's like you suddenly realized that not every person you meet is someone you know and love. This has been happening for a little while now but it wasn't until today that I finally put my finger on it. It takes you a few minutes to warm up to new people, and even when you start to smile at them you immediately burrow your face into me because you get embarrassed. I love that you are just a tiny little person :)
You are getting pretty good at using your fingers to feed yourself. I also noticed today that you are a pro at using your fingers and/or forearm to push food back into your mouth when it starts to fall out. Now that is a handy skill to have!
I started having nightmares last night of you finally pulling yourself up in your crib and falling out of it. So tonight your dad and I lowered both yours and Zo's cribs a notch. I put you in it after we were done and you promptly pulled yourself up for the very first time... I'm not sure how well my plan worked, but you have found that it is quite fun to hold onto the rail and jump on your mattress. So it begins...
It seems like every day I am comparing you to Tucker. I think he's rubbing off on you more than we anticipated! The last week or so you have started trying to pull yourself out of the bath tub every time I pour water over your head. Tuck also attempts escape every time water is poured on him. You guys were meant to be related.
Oh and we bought you a new BIG boy car seat today! You are going to love it. IT'S HUGE! Which is good since the straps in your infant car seat have met their match in you. You are growing way to fast mister!
30th
You are the funniest little boy I have ever met. You make me laugh every day. Today you seemed to be starving. All day. You must be growing... just what I want to happen! You're already HUGE! Anyway, when we give you a bottle, you normally drink about half of it before you get bored or full enough to play. Today however, I gave you your bottle and when I came back I found not only your bottle completely empty but I also found you half way across the room just finishing off poor Zoey's bottle. I have no idea how much extra you actually got, I'm going to guess not much since Zo wasn't screaming hysterically, but you got some alright. My initial response was to scold you, but when you looked at me and smiled with the bottle still in your mouth... how could I even be upset? Zoey wasn't. I love buddy.
28th
Today you are officially 9 months old! Congrats baby! These months keep on flying by. Probably because you keep us on our toes and we don't even have a chance to stop and comprehend time! But we love every second of being your parents Max, and we love everything about you. Maybe your temper and the temper tantrums that come with it a little less than other qualities... but we wouldn't change a thing about you.
You have grown a lot this last month and learned a lot of new things. You are into everything, crawling at an almost lightning speed, ok not that fast but getting faster and more efficient every day! You pull yourself up on anything you can get your hands on, you love to wrestle with stuffed animals (even Gammy's poor innocent raggedy ann doll) and fight over toys with Tucker. You sometimes treat your sister like a jungle gym, but she adores you despite that. In fact, she thinks you are hilarious. You have the funniest quirkiest little personality, which I LOVE, and you're always experimenting with new facial expressions and sounds. You're drawn to anything electronic with such intensity that you have to be physically removed from thier presence. You love playing with your toys and driving your jeep walker. Your 6 little teeth are coming in really well and are so handsome! They make you look like such a big boy! The only down side is that you sometimes bite yourself accidently, which makes you furious! I love you little boy and I am grateful every singe day that you are mine.
You had your 9 month check up today. You are growing like crazy! You are now a whopping 30 inches long and weigh 21 pounds and 11 ounces! You're one B I G boy! When the nurse came out to get us she told me that she was looking for a 9 month old baby and when she saw you she thought you were a one year old! It's no wonder though since you are still in the 95th percentile for heighth and moved up drastically to the 75th percentile in weight. Again, I'm not surprised at all. I feed you after all. In fact, the nurse had me guess your weight before we weighed you and I said somewhere between 21 and 22 pounds. Do I know my baby or what? The doctor said that you are perfect. You have great hand eye coordination (manifested by you thieving his pen and stethoscope) and very good muscle tone. Strong baby. He told me that the reason for the 9 month check up is to make sure babies are adjusting well to solids. You must be doing great since you are not only maintaining your weight gain but increasing your weight gain substantially! He also commented on how social you are. I guess most babies start getting very stranger danger aware at about 9 months. He was impressed with how well you interacted with him, although he did notice you consistently checked to make sure your mom was still there. I won't complain. I have one adorable, happy, healthy baby boy!
27th
You must be not be feeling well little man. You were pretty cranky today and then after your bath you snuggled with Dad and I for a long time. This is very much not like you. Maybe it was your snugglsaurus pajamas (complete with dinosaur feet socks)??
25th
We had a very busy day today! Gammy and I took you and Zoey shopping for over four hours! You did amazing! I was really impressed at how well you both did. You got to almost everything on our extensive shopping list before you guys expressed your desire to be done. We picked up pizza for Gampy and brought it to him at work. Then we ate some with him and his employees. You both really love pizza! Then we shopped 4 other stores before we finished. Gammy got you some extremely cute pajamas with a monkey face on the butt and I got you an extremely HANDSOME suit for Easter! Love it! And you got pretty creative while eating your bottle in the stroller. You figured out you could prop the bottle on the little armrest in front of you. Always looking for a lazy way to get the job done. I love you buddy.
You did it! You crawled just a few steps on your actual hands and knees! Way to go Max! Getting even closer! And the not five minutes later you went from the crawling position to sitting for the very first time. You are growing up very fast all of a sudden!
You took a bite out of Gammy's plastic toy football tonight. Nicely done.
24th
Today you and Zo spent time with your Gammy while I worked out in the shop with Gampy. You, of course, weren't sure about spending an entire day away from your mommy... but you survived, despite your best efforts. You had been in Gammy's custody for about five minutes when the first incident occurred. Gammy had strapped you into the high chair that was on the barstool and pushed you into the counter, making sure you were not close enough to kick yourself backwards. She then went to get Zoey from the next room. When she returned, she found you and the barstool falling backwards. Luckily she managed to throw Zoey into the other arm (barely holding onto her by her own little arm) and catch you by your arm. Crazy kid! Apparently you are strong enough that you were able to push off the counter with your hands hard enough to tip you completely over! Needless to say, Gammy has fed you on the floor ever since. Over the next few hours you ate dirt from her potted plant and tried to climb into the fireplace. You also became a little possessive of Gammy. Zoey was sitting in her lap and you squeezed yourself between them and snuggled into her. This is not something you usually do. Gammy eventually resorted to blocking off the living room using blankets and pillows to keep you contained, and did her best to divide herself between you two needy babies. It is possible that you were just acting out because you were angry with me... every time Gammy brought you outside to see me for a minute you shunned me and reached for her. No worries, by evening you had forgiven me and you are still my little momma's boy :)
22nd
You are getting so close to crawling Max! I mean a real crawl, not your slither :) You keep getting up on your hands and knees and then trying to move them. It's still a work in progress but you're one step closer than you were! You are also trying to pull yourself up on EVERYTHING. I even found you standing against the couch today. That's a pretty difficult thing for such a little guy to do! I'm very proud. We also practiced standing by yourself today. I was really impressed when you were able to stay upright without any support for 10 seconds! Ok, it might have only been 5, I'm not sure, but it was substantial enough to warrant my excitement.
You managed to pull off the steering wheel of your Jeep walker today! I found you banging it on the side of your Jeep. You are very impressive baby. You never cease to amaze me.
20th
Max you are a little bully! Adorable? Incredibly. Sweet? Overly (when you want to be) A bully? YES. Today your bullying reached past our sweet little Zo Zo Bean and you attacked a little girl about your age in church today. I sat you next to her to play and you immediately stole all her toys and then proceeded to rip her hair out of her pigtails. You are so strong baby! You really need to be a gentleman!
But you were very cute today during sacrament. The guy in front of us got quite the surprise when you suddenly popped out between his feet from under his chair! You are so cute it is incredibly distracting to EVERYONE around you. :)
19th
I went into the nursery today to feed you and Zo and found you laying contentedly with your paci in your mouth. It wasn't there when I checked on you last night... you are a smart little boy.
You managed to knock down the baby monitor onto Zoey's head. And you also kicked her in the head today. Poor little girl. What are we going to do with you! You are incredibly devious! Good thing Zo is a tough little thing! I don't know how she is going to survive you!
18th
Your fourth tooth on top emerged today! YAY! Now there are 6! You are getting quite the mouthful of little teethers :) Congrats little man! We know this is very hard work... and we very much appreciate you still maintaining your usual high maintenance self and not becoming even more so.
I put Zoey in the bath with you tonight. I was hoping that now that she can sit you wouldn't find sharing the bath with her as offensive. You didn't mind one bit! You played with your toys and splashed her the entire time... which she found incredibly funny and laughed and laughed. You also had a great time and started doing this new weird nasally laugh that kind of sounds like you're having an asthma attack but is ridiculously funny to watch. I love you two!
You should know that your little puppy loves you! Tucker is very concerned for your safety Max. He is becoming more and more like the dog Nana on Peter Pan. You have become quite the little adventurer today and this is very concerning to our Morkie. Every time you leave the room Tucker immediately begins following you barking "DANGER!" I think he's trying to tell me that you should be supervised at all times and that I should come immediately to remedy the problem. He might be a lot more perceptive than we give him credit for... I can't say that I disagree. I also think that he HATES the fact that you immediately go to the nearest floor vent (the things Tuck is deathly afraid of for reasons unknown to us) and pound on it which sends the puppy into hysterics (something you seem to enjoy doing), all the while giving him a blank stare. Zoey doesn't enjoy this very much either since she is unable to keep her eyes open or breath while Tucker is barking :)
17thHAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY! Today you celebrated your very first St. Patrick's Day, and we celebrated it right! Of course you were decked out in green all day, then to finish off a day of festivities we dyed your formula bright green! No worries, the color didn't throw you off for a second. You just happened to have green tinged spit up :)
AND...
HAPPY CHOSEN DAY! Well this is really kind of a holiday for both you and us. One year ago today we received an email that changed our lives forever! Your Sammi and your Joey emailed us asking us to be your parents. One of the best days of our lives. So today we celebrate us being chosen to be your parents. It is a GREAT day baby boy! We love you and your Sammi and your Joey SO SO much!16th
Today I went into the pantry and you immediately closed the door with your walker. You are getting incredibly good at maneuvering yourself around in that thing. You also have some serious skill when it comes to backing up!
You learned how to hit two measuring cups together today. Extremely adorable. It took some practice, but you've mastered this important skill :) You also spontaneously started waving at me during dinner. You obviously have no idea what it means, but it was very cute and you go the response you wanted, so you continued doing it. Smart baby.
15th
You were a menace today! You managed to get yourself tangled up in the computer cords, dump out all of Tucker's food and water (which made quite the mushy concoction) and attempt to pull out your sister's hair, all in one evening. You are a handful Maxers! You are lucky you have such a winning smile... and you're so lovable!
You are now walking along the furniture. You're not super great at it and often lunge at things well out of your reach, but you're getting there. You're growing up so fast!
14th
This morning I went into the nursery to feed you and your sister only to find you still fast asleep. I didn't want to wake you up, you looked too peaceful and quite adorable, so I simply left your bottle sitting right in front of you. I didn't hear from you at all until you and Zo woke up for the day around 9 AM. Yep. You found and drank your bottle without disturbing me. You are fantastic Max!
We had a playdate today with the little girl down the street. She is 3 days older than you and you outweigh her by at least 5 pounds... and yet she managed to bully you and steal your toys forcing you to come crying to me to ave you. I can't say I had too much sympathy for you baby, this is what Zoey lives with every day! One good thing that came of this was you figured out how to pull yourself up onto the couch to get away!
7th
We flew home today and I discovered yet ANOTHER tooth. You are now the proud owner of three top teeth and two bottom. What a big boy you are!
We had quite the diaper disaster today. I unknowingly checked all the diapers except for ONE! I hadn't realized that the diaper bag was almost out. I had a huge dilemma since Zoey was so wet she was leaking out onto Uncle Chandler, and you smelled extremely poopy. I chose to change you since I thought it would be cruel and a lot more offensive for you to fly all the way home in a dirty diaper. I thought it was my lucky day when I found that your diaper was clean! I promptly changed our soggy Zo Zo Bean and all was well... until you actually filled your diaper and then began leaking out. Luckily, I was able to track down a fellow mother with a baby about your age. All I had to say was "diaper emergency" and she handed me one. Thank goodness!!
You fell asleep on me during the flight, which I loved. You don't ever cuddle me unless you're sick. Too independent of a sleeper I guess! I love you sweet boy.
6th
You learned how to hit two measuring cups together today. Extremely adorable. It took some practice, but you've mastered this important skill :) You also spontaneously started waving at me during dinner. You obviously have no idea what it means, but it was very cute and you go the response you wanted, so you continued doing it. Smart baby.
15th
You were a menace today! You managed to get yourself tangled up in the computer cords, dump out all of Tucker's food and water (which made quite the mushy concoction) and attempt to pull out your sister's hair, all in one evening. You are a handful Maxers! You are lucky you have such a winning smile... and you're so lovable!
You are now walking along the furniture. You're not super great at it and often lunge at things well out of your reach, but you're getting there. You're growing up so fast!
14th
This morning I went into the nursery to feed you and your sister only to find you still fast asleep. I didn't want to wake you up, you looked too peaceful and quite adorable, so I simply left your bottle sitting right in front of you. I didn't hear from you at all until you and Zo woke up for the day around 9 AM. Yep. You found and drank your bottle without disturbing me. You are fantastic Max!
We had a playdate today with the little girl down the street. She is 3 days older than you and you outweigh her by at least 5 pounds... and yet she managed to bully you and steal your toys forcing you to come crying to me to ave you. I can't say I had too much sympathy for you baby, this is what Zoey lives with every day! One good thing that came of this was you figured out how to pull yourself up onto the couch to get away!
7th
We flew home today and I discovered yet ANOTHER tooth. You are now the proud owner of three top teeth and two bottom. What a big boy you are!
We had quite the diaper disaster today. I unknowingly checked all the diapers except for ONE! I hadn't realized that the diaper bag was almost out. I had a huge dilemma since Zoey was so wet she was leaking out onto Uncle Chandler, and you smelled extremely poopy. I chose to change you since I thought it would be cruel and a lot more offensive for you to fly all the way home in a dirty diaper. I thought it was my lucky day when I found that your diaper was clean! I promptly changed our soggy Zo Zo Bean and all was well... until you actually filled your diaper and then began leaking out. Luckily, I was able to track down a fellow mother with a baby about your age. All I had to say was "diaper emergency" and she handed me one. Thank goodness!!
You fell asleep on me during the flight, which I loved. You don't ever cuddle me unless you're sick. Too independent of a sleeper I guess! I love you sweet boy.
6th
Mystery solved. I found your 2 top teeth this morning. That is why you were clingy yesterday. Poor baby! But way to go! Pretty soon you'll have a whole mouth full!
You went to your first beach today! YOU LOVED IT! You were one happy boy. You played in the sand, crawled through it a little bit, we shared a chili dog and a smore, and you were outside. I cannot wait for summer little man. You are going to be ecstatic!
5th
Your Aunty Noelle got married today. You were in attendance, just outside of the temple being loved on by everyone. You were, and I quote Noelle, "the most handsome boy there." We had a very long day, and you weren't feeling very good, but you were still a good baby, just a clingy one.
4th
You flew on your very first airplane today and you did FANTASTIC! We made so many friends and you were very intrigued by the tray. Your eyes got really big when we took off and shifty when we landed, but you behaved incredibly well. Thank you baby.
Chandler's entire family love you. I'm not surprised. The rest of the world does.
3rd
Today we caught you eating Dad's textbook. You are definitely taking advantage of your mobility, and maybe taking after Tucker a little to much :)
We bought you the most adorable pair of shorts for our California adventure. You are going to look incredibly studly.
2nd
YOU CRAWLED!!! It's not a traditional crawl... more like a slither... but you are now MOBILE!!! Way to go little man! You have the absolute cutest army crawl I have ever seen. We are just so excited for you!
1st
Today I had to run a few errands and we went shopping. In the middle of the store, you decided that you desperately needed my shopping list and nothing was as interesting as this piece of paper. You promptly yelled at me. Luckily I had brought your puffs and was able to appease you until I was finished with the list.
We caught you pulling your sisters hair today. You just smiled innocently with your little hands still firmly in her hair. What am I going to do with you?
March 2011
27th
You are being such a great baby lately! Today you were very tired when we got to church, but miraculously, three hours later you were still a happy boy! I think it must be all the ladies there that you have to impress :) By the time we got you home though you were so exhausted that you passed out in less than a minute when I laid you down. Tired little guy.
You should also know that you have become a baby celebrity in our primary. Every chance they get you are surrounded by admiring primary children :)
You were cuddling me on the couch today and Dad came over to sit by us while he ate his pear. You looked over at him and his pear and then started leaning towards that delicious fruit. One bite was all it took. Between you and Tucker Dad hardly got any!
So you are becoming quite adept at getting around in your jeep walker. You have discovered that you can open up my kitchen drawers (something I'm not thrilled about, but you can't actually get anything out of the yet) and you race straight to the oven every time I open it. I'm just waiting for you to smash your fingers in the drawer and burn them on the oven. Hopefully neither of these happen, but you are one determined baby!
26th
You got your first genuine injury today baby! You were playing, and you just happened to not be wearing any pants at the moment... and you scratched your little thigh in our bed frame. Poor little guy! It was kind of cute though because you were way more angry about it then sad :)
Gammy and Gampy came to see us today! You LOVE them! You also spent a few hours with our friends the Carters while Daddy and I went out. You fell deeply and madly in love with their ceiling fan. You didn't even notice me when I came in the room. Silly boy.
24th
Today you learned to clap! It was completely spontaneous and incredibly cute... and it lasted until early afternoon when you forgot your new fun trick and have refused to clap ever since.
I was VERY brave today Max! You, Zoey and I went on an adventure, to a store! Just the three of us. For the first time. We did great! You had a fantastic time sitting in the front of the cart like the big boy you are, and Zoey just pouted in her carseat in the back. It's possible she was either mad about not being able to sit up front... or maybe she was just tired. It could've been either one. :) But the important part is that we have a newfound FREEDOM we didn't previously have!
23rd
You slept in till 10:15 AM today! What a great baby you are! And you are waking up so incredibly happy lately. I LOVE IT! I also love the fact that I generally find you trying to eat your already empty bottle from 7 AM. Very clever... if only it worked for you :)
You have a runny nose today. I'm really really hoping your generous cousins didn't pass on their sicknesses to you. But knowing you it's very probable.
22nd
You are so funny Max. You have figured out that there is no point in crying if no one is there to hear you. This morning I snuck into your room to put Zoey's paci back in and you lifted your head because you seemed to sense that I was there. I was somehow able to avoid detection, and since you were unable to get a visual, you just laid back down and went to sleep. At 7 AM, while I was making your bottles, Tucker decided to help me by going into the nursery to check on you guys. When you saw the door open you immediately gave the morkie a piece of your mind :) Smart kid. You knew someone was there. You have also started rolling onto your back the instant you see your bottle. I'll admit, this makes my life one step simpler! Thanks buddy!
You ate my broccoli cheddar soup tonight like a champ! And you enjoyed a 12 grain roll! Look at you being so big!
21st
You are such a sweet baby. You keep getting sweeter and sweeter. This morning I went into your nursery and found you playing with your stuffed animals, while Zo screamed. This is a welcome change!
YOU ATE GREEN BEANS!!! YOU ATE GREEN BEANS!!! YOU ATE GREEN BEANS!!!
Zoey didn't finish her bowl so I decided to give the rest to you. I did not however expect you to actually eat them! Way to go buddy! The impossible has happened!
We went shopping as a family today since Dad had the day off of school. We went to the mall (where you had several girls fall in love with you and your eyeballs), went out to eat (where you managed to cover the entire restaurant with saltine crackers), and did some grocery shopping. You even rode in the seat of the cart for the very first time! You and Zoey behaved incredibly well! I couldn't believe it! Maybe we'll do family outings more often!
20th
Last night you fell asleep on your tummy, which made me slightly nervous. But I trusted you to take care of yourself :) But when 7:50 AM rolled around this morning and I still hadn't heard anything from you, I got a little worried. So I went to check on you and you were just quietly looking around. You never cried. You didn't even yell at me when when you saw your bottle. You are just getting so mature and grown up!
Your cousin Zuleka is probably your best friend. Thanks to her you have been introduced to fruit loops, marshmellows, and goldfish crackers. You can thank her later.
You also ate a part of my muffin this morning and a piece of turkey from dinner. You are loving grown up foods!
You crossed the line tonight baby boy. You rolled over to Zoey and intentionally took her bottle from her and tried to drink from it. This did not go over well.
19th
You are one lucky little man! You had your first piece of PIZZA... crust today :) You quite enjoyed it.
18th
We went to Boise with Gammy and Gampy today for William and Zuleka's birthday party! You did fantastic and slept the last half of the drive. The first half was spent soaking up all the Baby Einstein you could.
17th
You are so cute when you play with Tucker. This morning you guys were playing tug o war and you refused to let go, even when Tucker pulled you over and started pulling you across the ground. So cute.
I suggested a play date with the little girl down the street to your dad today. She's your age and very cute. I thought you would have fun playing with her. Dad responded with, "There will be no kissing." ha ha
I took Zoey to the doctor today. You were taking a nap so I left you home with your Aunty Noelle. When you woke up she went into your nursery to get you and you, thinking it was me since it normally is, started to yell at her. When you saw who it was, you smiled instead. Thank you so much for saving your crankiest self for me :)
16th
The last few mornings I have woken up to Zoey crying for her bottle, with you waiting patiently in your crib. Pretty sure you've decided that it's a lot of work to yell and only one of you has to do it, so you are content to let Zo do the yelling because you know I'll come :) Very smart baby!
You are so strong Max! Today you started pulling yourself up on things, mainly my pant leg, but also the bumbo and your walker. You lose your balance almost immediately when you get up on your feet, but still impressive! Maybe you should crawl before you start learning stuff like this!
You are officially sleeping exclusively in your sleep sack! Yay! Goodbye burrito!
I went into your nursery to check on you and Zo before I went to bed and you were both sleeping in the cutest positions. You were curled around your little giraffe. So sweet. Zoey was sprawled out spread eagle. So funny. Love you guys!
15th
You are becoming a very funny little boy. You are also getting way to smart... especially when it comes to food! Here are all the tricks you have figured out:
1. You hate anything green and now recognize the color and refuse to open your mouth.
2. You have learned to first stick your tongue out and taste what's on the spoon before opening your mouth for a bite... this is usually when I am alternating between fruits and veggies.
3. You now recognize that a new container means a new taste. So when you are tired of one thing you clamp your mouth shut until you see me open something new and then your mouth is wide open again!
4. You very much enjoy tearing off your bib... repeatedly.
5. When you're done with a cracker you feed it to the Morkie lurking beneath you, Tucker has caught on to this very quickly as well and is always by your side when you are in your high chair.
You make me laugh every day Max! And I absolutely LOVE your quirky little personality!
Apparently you're new fascination is shoes. You are drawn to all shoes, especially the laces. I am constantly finding you with a shoelace in your mouth. Today Grandpa Bob came to see you guys and you managed to untie his shoelaces so you could eat them! Crazy boy.
14th
Happy Valentine's Day Maxers!! We love you so much little man! And I'm pretty sure you asked me to be your Valentine... and of course I accept! :)
You are getting to be so mobile and devious... maybe I don't want you to crawl! You manage to get into almost everything without that skill! You are just getting too big too fast. Today you wore your 6-12 month jeans for the first time! I don't know why but that made me sad. I remember when you drowned in your 0-3 months jeans! You look like such a big boy in them. So handsome.
12th
This morning I went into your nursery to feed you and Zo and found you in the funniest position. Apparently sometime during the night you must have woken up and tried to break out of your crib, but fell asleep mid-escape. When I came in I startled you awake and you fell back onto your back in your crib. You are one crazy boy!
We took you and Zo to Applebees today! We were brave. You had a fantastic time and behaved incredibly well. You ate a stick of celery, some saltine crackers, and my napkin. Yes, there was an actual bite out of my napkin. Yum!
10th
You were incredibly angry with me today. I was taking care of a Tucker disaster while you yelled at me for your lunch. By the time I got to you, you were so livid with me you sputtered and scolded me the entire time I was feeding you... but don't worry, you still ate :)
You are getting to be an extremely smart little man. You decided you were tired of eating your veggies, and I was tired of fighting with you, so I decided to pull out your fruit and alternate bites. You watched me open up the new food container and you immediately opened your mouth. Smarty. Then after a couple of bites of veggies intermixed, you caught on and before you'd take another bite you'd stick out your tongue to taste what was on the spoon. I love you. You make me laugh.
9th
You are babbling! It is INCREDIBLY cute! You have the sweetest little voice I have ever heard. Pretty sure you heard Zoey talking and that prompted you to start... but that doesn't matter. You are making your dad very happy with your "da da da." LOVE YOU!
8th
You learned to lick today. You are now licking everything, even the air. You're cute little tongue is seems like it's always out of your mouth now!
7th
You're new favorite thing is to sit in the bathtub. You love holding the loofah, dipping it into the water and sucking on it. You are getting to the point where you get furious with me when I take you out. Oh the battles we are going to have. :)
6th
Your Grandpa Frank came to see you today. He thinks you are pretty fantastic. :) It was so great to see him again. Utah is just full of people who love you!
5th
We went to Utah today! Your birth state! The drive went very smoothly. Thank goodness for Baby Einstein! We visited Grandma Rice and Aunt Christa. You had a great time playing with their two dogs and little Jason. Then we went to see your Sammi! Her Nana was also visiting and she was very happy to meet you. You are adored by so many people Max! You got a very cool Buzz Lightyear... but you seemed to be especially fond of Zoey's Raggedy Ann. She has beautiful hair.
4th
You despise sippy cups. I gave you your formula in one for lunch today and you were very angry with me. You sat and chewed on it yelling at me. I had to dip the tip of it into the formula to get you to even try drinking out of it. It kind of worked... it's still a work in progress.
You also despise cottage cheese. We found that out today as well. :)
3rd
You learned the "I'll drop everything you give me so you can pick it up for me... over and over again" game today. I'm glad you're getting so smart, and I know I'm supposed to encourage this game, but it's slightly exhausting! I love you very much baby, so I'll play with you. :)
By the way you are one incredibly handsome boy.
2nd
You are one gross little boy. Today you pooped in your exersaucer which resulted in poop up your back... not unusual for you, unfortunately no longer a big deal. So I took you to the changing table and began changing you when you started to pee everywhere. I had to hurry and put your dirty diaper over you which covered you in even more poop. You then decided to roll over onto your stomach and grab at everything, which resulted in you and me being covered in poop. Admitting defeat I wiped you down the best I could, grabbed you by your ankles and wrists and promptly placed you in the bath tub. Thanks for the fun adventure Max!
You are kind of becoming a little bully. Zoey was playing with a couple of toys today and you would watch her and you HAD TO HAVE whichever one she was currently playing with. Sharing is apparently not going to come easy to you :)
So you're new thing is to pee every time I change your diaper. You peed on your face tonight. I'd feel a lot worse if you hadn't been peeing on me repeatedly!
1st
You give hugs now! So cute! You'll wrap your little arms around my neck and burrow your face into my shoulder. I love it!
You aren't all sweet though, don't worry. You are so funny when it comes to holding your own bottle. If I put the bottle in your mouth you immediately drop your hands and start drinking like you're saying, "Thanks Mom! I'll let you feed me!" To get you to feed yourself I have to hold the bottle a few inches away from your mouth and let you grab it and shove it into your mouth. Funny boy.
You also have a fun new trick where you'll be playing in your exersaucer/johnny jumper/walker and you'll cry and reach for me to pick you up. Once I do, you immediately reach for the toy I just pulled you out of. Not sure what that's all about :)
February 2011
31st
You are one smart baby! Today we tried green beans again, you still despise them... so I was trying to trick you by giving you bites of fruit with bites of green beans interspersed. You were not fooled for a second. You gobbled down the prunes and apples but the second you saw the green goop on the spoon you clamped your mouth shut and wouldn't budge. Too smart!!
You decided you LOVE ice today. You used to avoid anything cold or frozen like the plague, but today all that changed. You love ice.
I bought poop tongs today. Just for you! And kind of for me I guess. This way I don't have to fish out your soiled clothing from the oxiclean soaking bucket when I'm doing laundry. Very exciting. Just look at what you've turned me into Max!
30th
You have noodle arms. They are seriously the longest, scrawniest arms I have ever seen :)
29th
I got you a sleep sack. The plan is to slowly ease you into using it and eventually stop burritoing you for good. Today was our first attempt at using it. It was kind of amusing. When I zipped you into it and laid you in your crib you seemed pretty excited about your newfound freedom. There were excited squeals coming from your room. Eventually though you decided it wasn't fun anymore and started screaming. Apparently the novelty had worn off. I went in to check on you and found you trying to escape your crib through the bars. Impossible, but you willing to try anything... you seemed pretty desperate :) After laying you back down on your back several times and lots of kisses, you eventually fell fast asleep on your side with your little arms strewn about. It was fairly adorable. Hopefully you get the hang of this sleep sack soon!
28th
Congrats baby! SEVEN months old today! You are getting SO old!
You walked right out of Grandpa's hands today! He had to hurry and catch you! Crazy kid! Who knows? You might walk before you crawl :)
You walked right out of Grandpa's hands today! He had to hurry and catch you! Crazy kid! Who knows? You might walk before you crawl :)
This last month you have done some serious growing and learning. We are absolutely loving watching you figure out new things. You are very smart and it doesn't take you long to master a new skill. You are rolling like crazy, pivoting in circles, sitting like a champ, and you eat like there is no tomorrow. You're too big! Seriously! Were you ever a newborn?!?! I can barely remember it :)
You are a momma's boy through and through. If you can see me, you want me to hold you. You'll resort to screaming hysterically to get to me... and you often do. It drives your dad crazy! But most of the time I love it! It's kind of nice to be adored by such a cute boy! And I definitely feel the same way about you.
You are a momma's boy through and through. If you can see me, you want me to hold you. You'll resort to screaming hysterically to get to me... and you often do. It drives your dad crazy! But most of the time I love it! It's kind of nice to be adored by such a cute boy! And I definitely feel the same way about you.
You are the most studly, charming, incredibly wonderful little 7 month old alive. We love you so much and we cannot imagine our lives without our little Maxer Paxer Pie!!
27th
You sneezed right after you took a bite this morning and splattered your oatmeal ALL over me. That was impressive... Thanks Max :)
I'm pretty sure you ate more today than I did. You are one HUNGRY little boy! You absolutely love your fruit. You eat your selective veggies willingly now, but when it's fruit (or rice cereal) on the spoon your mouth is suddenly open as wide as it possibly can be and I can't shovel it in fast enough! Makes for a very easy target!
You were sitting in your exersaucer today when Uncle Chandler started playing with Tucker. Out of no where you just started laughing really hard! It was the cutest thing ever. You have one adorable laugh.
26th
You were in your walker in the laundry room today admiring your reflection in the dryer. I left the kitchen for a minute and when I came back you were crying. You had pulled the clothes drying rack on top of yourself and you were stuck in it. It was quite adorable.
25th
I burritoed you and put you in your crib for a nap. I went it a few minutes later to check on you and found you completely out of your blanket and on your stomach... looks like we're going to have to find an alternative sleeping technique!
24th
You are learning to sit! You're not completely stable yet, but you are definitely getting there. You figured out how to balance and catch yourself before you tip over. You just wiggle your little bum. :) Way to go Max!
PS Please keep your poop inside your diaper. Three outfits in one day Max?!?! Really?
PS Please keep your poop inside your diaper. Three outfits in one day Max?!?! Really?
23rd
You're almost back to 100%. The antibiotics worked like a charm and seemed to have an almost immediate effect on you. Dad got you some Yo Baby Yogurt to counteract the side effects of the antibiotics with the probiotics in the yogurt. You LOVE it! I bet it feels good on your throat.
I really wish that you would take your paci again. I feel completely helpless now when you are crying and you won't take it! You have always been such a paci baby I haven't had to figure anything else out... Please forgive and forget baby. Please take your paci!!
21st
We made it home! It wasn't easy, but we're here. You had an even worse night last night and have not taken your paci at all. At first we thought you had an ear infection, but we finally figured out that it was actually your throat that was hurting. After rushing back to Rexburg we barely got you to the doctors office before they closed. It was a good thing we made it since you ended up with strep! Poor little guy. No wonder you haven't been eating (or sleeping)!
20th
You are not feeling well today. I'm sure it doesn't help that you (which also means me) were up all night. Sorry you're sick baby.
Today Abbie told you that "you are a very cute baby, but you pull hair!" She tells it like it is.
19th
You have a thing for holding people's hands. Tonight while I was giving you a bath you reached up and held my hand. Precious. You are also ALWAYS searching for Zoey's hand every time you are near her. I love it!
18th
You reverted back to newborn last night and woke me up every two hours. I am not very pleased with you baby.
17th
Gammy gave you a cracker today. I told her she could because I didn't think you'd know to eat it, I thought you'd just play with it. I couldn't have been more wrong. Apparently you had been observing Gammy very closely and you immediately put that cracker in your mouth and chomped. Even when I was feeding you bananas you insisted on having a cracker in each hand. You are a smart boy!
We drove to Boise with Gammy and Gampy. You were such a good little traveler! I was very surprised. You slept for the first 2 hours and then watched Baby Einstien the rest of the ride, while I fed you pears. I actually think you quite enjoyed the combo of your favorite food and favorite show :)
16th
Today in church you swiped a pacifier right out of a little boy's mouth. You have some serious hand eye coordination!
You were helping me cook dinner tonight by running into my ankles in your walker and attacking my pant legs, when I looked over to see that you had pulled the dish towel off the fridge handle and you were sucking on it. Nice job! You've been after that towel for quite some time now.
I just found your first fat roll on your thigh. Congrats baby! You're getting chubby... kind of.
15th
Today you had your first dessert. Vanilla custard pudding with bananas. Don't ever say we don't love you :)
14th
Today you and Tucker have been fighting over his very special chew toy. You both love it... Tucker especially loves it when someone else is playing with it. He's very patient and waits for a mistake or a moment of weakness before snatching it and running away. Just wait till you can chase after him :)
You LOVE oatmeal with pear juice.
You just fish hooked your sister. She is not very happy with you.
13th
Thanks to you I have become the master of deception and the master of cleaning up poop. The second title needs no explanation. As for the first, you refuse to eat any green vegetables. I had pretty much given up trying to convince you to eat your peas and green beans when your Gammy told me how I could trick you into eating them. I simply took a spoonful of green beans and dipped it into sweet potatoes. You ate it up without a clue as to what you were really eating. VICTORIOUS! You don't have to like them but you WILL eat them! I am the master of deception :)
As of tonight you no longer want to share your bath with your sister. You yelled at me the entire time when I put you in the tub with Zoey. Crazy kid.
11th
You intentionally kick off your socks now, and you HATE when I put them back on. You are going to love summertime little man!
10th
The cutest thing happened today. A little girl from our ward brought us cookies with a letter asking us to let her and her sister babysit you and Zoey. You are on popular little guy Max! Also, your tolerance of peas has become open disgust. The look on your face made your feelings very clear.
You learned how to spit tonight. Everyone and everything near you is now covered in your saliva. While I am ecstatic that you are learning new things... I can't say I'm thriller you learned how to spit :)
9th
Today was your blessing day! Your dad gave you your baby blessing in church today. It was a beautiful and very heartfelt blessing. You made things somewhat difficult though. When your dad picked you up to take you up front you started screaming and yelling! Dad looked at you and then asked our Bishop if he could trade babies. Everyone thought it was really funny when he brought you back to me and took Zoey up instead (who behaved angelically by the way). We tried desperately to make you happy with your bottle and paci, and we were successful until it was your turn again. We sent your bottle up with Gampy and your paci with Uncle Eric and they did their best to keep you quiet, they were not quite as successful (the Bishop ended up with formula all over his suit sleeve thanks to you and your tantrum), but towards the end of your blessing you did calm down. You of course looked dashing and was even called a "little Elvis." It was a great day.
8th
Happy FOREVER DAY! Today you were sealed to us for time and all eternity. What a GREAT day! You looked especially handsome in the three piece white suit you wore and the moment we entered the temple you were an angel. The only word I can even think of to describe the way you acted is reverent. You and your sister both behaved incredibly well and the sealing was beautiful. You were both fascinated by the beautiful chandelier in the sealing room and just stared at it the entire time. We cannot tell you enough how much we love you and how grateful we are that you a part of our ETERNAL family.
There were a lot of people who love you who came to share our special day with us. Your Sammi and her family all came from Utah. They brought you and your sister the cutest baby rattles. You love them by the way. You keep snatching Zoey's from her so you can have one in each fist. Gammy, Gampy, Grandma, Grandpa, Great Grandma and Grandpa Houdek, Uncle Eric, Aunt Terrilynn, Kenna, David and Zuleka all came to see you. And of course your Aunty Noelle and Uncle Chandler were here too. That's a lot of love baby!
We celebrated with pizza and homemade rootbeer. Next year you can celebrate with us!
7th
Okay, so someone had a complete change of heart today. I have never met a more willing eater in my life. You behaved so well in your highchair today I almost didn't believe you were the same baby! Instead of alternating between bottle and spoon, I would just give you your bottle while I dished up your food and you'd drink for a little while and then eat and eat and eat. Amazing! It's actually kind of fun to feed you when you want to eat! You were so cute. You kept opening your mouth as wide as you could. I love you.
We introduced you to carrots today. You didn't find them especially spectacular... but you seemed to think they were pretty tasty.
6th
We've worked out a compromise. About 90% of the time you throw a tantrum when I put you in your highchair. Apparently you just want to go back to the good old days of being a strictly formula fed baby. I'm not entirely sure why, but you are rather attached to your bottle. Anyway, our compromise is that you can drink from your bottle while in your highchair, but in between drinks you have to eat a couple bites of food. This worked extremely well for several days, until you broke the deal. You decided you weren't going to give up your bottle and when I tried to pull it out of your mouth to feed you sweet potatoes, you stubbornly held onto it. Your grip was so strong we played tug o war over your bottle. You're pretty ridiculous baby... and I LOVE it!
5th
I left you in your exersaucer for 2 minutes while I checked on the laundry. When I came back you had tears streaming down your face. I'd say that you are definitely both a momma's boy and overly dramatic :)
We knew to expect new poop when we started you on solids, but your dad obviously was not prepared. He was changing your diaper today and started gagging (it didn't help that he got some on his hand). I had to take over as he ran to the nearest sink. I guess you're not the only dramatic Perrenoud in this house!
You had pears for the first time tonight. One word: LOVE. Nothing you've tried so far even compares. You ate the ENTIRE container, which is definitely a first for you. I will admit though, they are by far my favorite too. Yes, I do try everything I feed you. Wish I could say the same for your dad. He can't handle the mushy texture :)
4th
You apparently decided today was a good day to learn new things! While I was changing your diaper this morning you intentionally rolled over onto your stomach to get to the wipes. That is going to open up a whole set of mobility opportunities! Which you have already figured out. After holding your own bottle (YES!! You can do that now!) and eating what you wanted, we found you about 3 feet from where you started! You're turning into such a big boy! I'm starting to think a little too quickly!
You had your 6 month check up today and got your shots. You did AMAZING! I honestly could not believe just how amazing you did. You were playing with a toy when they stuck you with the needles and you dropped the toy and cried a cry of betrayal. Then I picked you up and you immediately stopped crying and even smiled at Dr. Jones. This is by far an improvement from past experiences. You are definitely an incredible little guy. Dr. Jones was so impressed by your strength, your height (specifically your leg length, he even mentioned basketball which your dad will be happy to hear) and your coordination. When he checked in your nose you swatted him away. When he checked your reflexes on your foot you kicked him away with your other foot. He said that he rarely sees this kind of coordination in a baby your age. His exact words were that you have "karate kid reflexes." ha ha I wasn't too surprised. I have been victim to your mastery of deflection many times. Keep growing like you are baby! You are perfect.
We introduced you to peas tonight... you tolerated them.
3rd
You ate peaches for the first time today. You loved them. I'm beginning to think that you need more variety in your diets. You get sick of foods so fast! We need to introduce more so you don't get bored so quickly. The good news is your dad and I bought you every option of food available to you, including prunes :) That's how much we love you!
2nd
You are a huge flirt. Today at church you spent your time winning the hearts of every woman in sight. They even accused you of having a "smouldering" look (in reference to the movie Tangled). Funny boy.
1st
Happy New Years Day! We had quite an eventful New Years Eve. You spent your time blowing out of multiple diapers... so you know exactly how we spent our evening. Thanks buddy. Your resolution should probably be less poop outside of your diaper. That or maybe go back to sleeping through the night :)
When I was giving you a bath tonight I splashed a little water up your nose like the doctor had suggested. You were not pleased with my attempt to help you and you sputtered and kicked your little legs like crazy (something you do when you're angry). Then you looked me in the eye and proceeded to pee in the tub. Was this intentional? No idea... but it seemed very suspicious to me!
January 2011
30th
You are even more sick today than you were yesterday. It's hard to see you so miserable. We took you to the Dr. and he thought you were showing signs of croup. To avoid you getting even sicker and having to check you into the hospital he prescribed you steroids. I really hope you feel better soon! On a happier note you took a shower with your dad tonight. You really enjoyed it and was furious when we took you out. And you have another tooth breaking through! Pretty soon you'll have a handsome set of bottom teeth :) I am sorry this is all happening at the same time. You're a trooper though, but please fall asleep and stay asleep! You woke up way too many times last night. I am tired! :)
29th
You woke up sick today. Poor little guy! So we spent the morning in our sauna... ok, our bathroom with steam from the shower. It may not have been glamorous, but you and Zo seemed to love it. Maybe because it came equipped with an exersaucer and Bumbo :)
28th
Happy 6 months old Max! You are now 1/2 a year old! That just blows my mind. These past six months have been the most challenging and wonderful months of my whole life. We love you more every day. You are becoming the sweetest little boy. You laugh at almost everything now (which your Dad loves because he happens to think he's pretty funny and now you typically agree) and you love to cuddle. You are even giving cuddles to people other than me! What a generous baby you are! You love to play in your exersaucer, Jeep walker and johnny jumper. You are so ready to be mobile. Being a spectator is killing you and you cannot wait to get in on the action. And on top of your incredible little personality you are quite possibly the most handsome boy ever! We could not have dreamed of anyone more perfect. We love you so much Max!
27th
You tried sweet potatoes today and I must say they were a HUGE success! You loved them. Yay! We found a vegetable you like! We made your dad try some, which he really did not want to. You thought it was so funny and kept laughing at him. Adorable!
25th
Merry Christmas! Today you celebrated your very first Christmas and you got spoiled! I cannot even tell you all the presents you got there were so many! Your favorites are your johnny jumper from Gammy and Gampy and your portable DVD player from Grandma and Grandpa. Your Sammi and your Joey sent you some very cool stuff as well. Between you and your sister we barely had room in the car to bring everything home! Overall I would say you had a terrific first Christmas. Only next year please go to bed before 2 AM and sleep later than 7:30 AM :)
23rd
You are such a big boy! This morning I went to rub your gums and there was a tooth sticking out! Way to go little man! You worked very hard for it :)
We fed you bananas today with your rice cereal and you thought you were in heaven. You gobbled in down faster than I could feed it to you!
22nd
We went and had ice cream with Grandma and Grandpa Houdek, Gammy and Gampy and Uncle Josh, Aunt Melanie and Abbie and William. You had a great time and ate Abbie's hair. Gammy fed you banana for the first time and you LOVED it. I guess we'll go with fruits first! Veggies will have to wait since you have no love for your green beans :) You and Zo took a bath together when we got home. You guys loved it and are so cute together! I love you both so much. You are just getting to be so much fun Max. Today you figured out how to blow raspberries! You kept doing it all night. It was adorable. You even made sure you showed Zoey. You are just too cute!
20th
This morning you woke up hungry at 6:30 AM. As I was feeding you, you stopped eating so I took the bottle away and was going to burp you when you turned your head and cuddled into me and went to sleep. What a precious baby you are Max! Here are some of the things you are doing that make us love you so much!
-you fell asleep in the middle of your bottle once and woke up startled a minute later
-sometimes when we are burping you on our shoulder you eat our face/neck/ear. You seem to favor your dad's ear :)
-when you are especially hungry you put your mouth over the bottle while I'm carrying you and it to the couch :)
-you reach for us when we hold our arms out to you. I LOVE it!
-you have successfully figured out how to repeatedly remove your bib while I'm trying to feed you. You difficult smarty pants!!
How could anyone possibly resist such a cute baby!?! :) Love you Max!
*oh and you snort when you laugh hard. So cute!
18th
You met Santa today! We took you to the mall to see him and you must have know who we were going to see because you were an angel baby. You slept on the way there and back and behaved extremely well while we were there. Putting you to bed after we got home was a completely different experience. Apparently not even 8 oz of formula, a bowl of green beans, and 2 bowls of rice cereal was enough for you!
15th
You rolled from your back to your stomach today! It was kind of accidental I think... you looked pretty surprised, but you did it! Nice job little man! You have also decided that you will only take rice cereal in the evening... you're not difficult at all :)
14th
You, Sir, are a bottomless pit. For the first time in you and Zoey's very short babyhood, she did not finish her bottle and you drank it for you! It has always been the other way around. And on top of your bottle and the last of hers, you also decided that you needed to have rice cereal reintroduced at 10:45 PM. And you love it! Again! :) You were opening your mouth for more before I could even get the next spoonful. You even scolded me once for being too slow! And then you proceeded to eat 3 more ounces before you allowed us to put you to bed. Bottomless Pit!!
12th
Tonight we burritoed both you and Zoey and laid you next to each other. Zo was talking to you, but being the cool guy that you are, you stared at he with no expression on your face. Then you would turn you head away from her and smile. I guess you secretly find her very amusing :)
10th
Well we had a good run I guess. As of tonight you have given up your rice cereal. You refuse to touch the stuff. You are slightly insane Max :)
7th
Rice cereal went much better today. I put in way less formula so it was much thicker. It was a lot easier to feed to you and you chomped it all down! I even made you a second bowl! Way to go Max! You are getting so big. :)
6th
You had your first rice cereal today baby! It went ok. We followed the first feeding directions which made the cereal super runny, which made it difficult to feed to you. It was taking forever and you got tired and impatient. But it was somewhat successful. You did eat some of it! It only took both your dad, me and your paci :)
5th
You have become a bottomless pit! I have never seen you eat as quickly or nearly as much as you have been the last couple of days. I got the message baby! You start rice cereal tomorrow. Lucky boy! Zoey is going to be so jealous!
Today you did the sweetest thing. I was holding you and Zoey started crying. I knelt down with you to talk to her and you reached out your chubby little hand and held hers. She instantly stopped crying. She already adores her big brother!
*written by Dad
Today mom got what she deserved. She was showing off your naked little bum to Noelle and Chan (while pinching it, I might add). After getting out of the bath you peed on your mom, so she took pictures of your bum as pay back, so you made a big rainbow shaped pee. Your mom quickly gave up. max today you won with your pee!
1st
Woke up to more happy noises over the baby monitor this morning. Love it! The only problem is you were too busy making these adorable noises to eat your bottle. Crazy boy!
December 2010
30th
You woke up so happy today! I just listened to your happy noises for 5 minutes before I went and got you this morning. I love you sweet boy!!
28th
Happy 5 months baby boy! It seems like we just celebrated four months! Wow time is just flying! You are growing like a weed and just getting cuter every day. We are having so much fun watching you learn and grow. You are an adorable, sweet and irresistibly cute boy Max and we couldn't love you more! I think you are going to have a growth spurt soon because you have been eating a ton lately!
27th
We cut down your first Christmas tree today! Since it was very cold we waited in the truck, but you were pretty fascinated with the tree when we put it up.
25th
Happy Thanksgiving Max! Your very first. And it is my birthday too! You were a pretty good baby for me today so thank you! That was an excellent birthday present. And you chose today to poop in the bath tub for the first time. Thankfully it was while Gammy was giving you a bath so it was an okay time to choose. You were pretty upset that we took you out of the water so suddenly, but I personally feel that Gammy was really the only one with a good reason to be upset :)
24th
You are such a big boy Max! You sat all by yourself today! Very wobbly, but you did it. Way to go buddy!
Your Uncle Chandler changed your diaper today. You should feel very special because this was the first diaper he has ever changed! It took him awhile but you were very polite and waited patiently. You didn't even pee on him. Very considerate.
23rd
Happy I'm a Perrenoud Day! You and your sister officially became Perrenouds today and we couldn't be happier about it! Your adoption was finalized today at 10:30 AM at the Madison Court House. It was definitely meant to be since the court house was closed due to a winter storm watch right after our case. We're glad we didn't have to postpone it. The Judge was very surprised that we had been blessed with TWO babies and not just one. In fact he said that he has never seen a case like ours in the 27 years he has been a judge! That's pretty cool! He also made sure we knew how lucky we are... which we do :) Unfortunately for you though, Zoey's adoption was finalized first making you technically our "second" child. On the upside you were only about 30 seconds behind her!
We love you so much Max and are so incredibly happy to have you in our family.
19th
There has been another incident involving the Jeep. You jerked your face into the steering wheel setting off the music and giving yourself a red mark under your right eye. You need to be more cautious while driving!
18th
I was holding you today and you suddenly leaned over and starting eating my chin. I found it a little strange but at the same time very amusing. Definitely a first for me. You are a little crazy Max!
17th
You were involved in a hit and run today. Tucker was the victim, you were the driver and your Jeep walker was the vehicle. Tucker is okay and now much more cautious around you and your Jeep.
It appears Tuck has forgiven you. He brought you three of his favorite toys and set them on you so you could play with them.
16th
You must be growing because you are constantly eating!
You have become very aware of the toys on your exersaucer. It is so cute to watch you play with them. You are just getting SO big and SO smart! You also spent some time in your Jeep walker. You're figuring it out pretty fast. You did get stuck in "reverse" for a little while... but that's to be expected for a first time driver. :)
14th
You and Zo slept ALL night long! Thank you!! You didn't even wake up until 9 am!!
13th
Last night you, Zoey and Tucker stayed with our friend Valerie while we went shopping. She has 2 dogs and a cat to Tuck was in heaven. She also has 2 little girls who adore babies, so you guys were pretty happy too. The cutest thing was how protective Tucker was of you both. He followed you and Zo around all night and laid right next to you to ensure you would be alright.
12th
Your eye cleared up and is no longer goobery! Yay!
10th
You ate your sister's hand today.
After eating your bottle you burped on giant burp and then five little ones. Every time you laughed you would burp. So cute.
8th
We went to see Gammy today. We set you on you tummy to play and when I checked on you awhile later you were on you back playing with a toy giraffe. It was the first time I've seen you grab a toy and play. You're getting SO big baby boy!
6th
Your Sammi came to spend the weekend with us! It was so good to see her! She was amazed at how big you are now. You seemed to have a good time. You were definitely spoiled with gifts and loves. You are a very lucky little boy. You spent the weekend cuddling, playing, chewing on everything in sight and reading books. It was a very good time.
4th
This morning when you dad came into your room to feed you, you had your arms out of the burrito. When you saw Dad you immediately stopped crying and threw your arms up, smiled and cooed. Melted Daddy's heart. You are a sweet baby.
Today you've suddenly decided that you have a lot to say to the world. It's been difficult to feed you you've been so talkative. Your coos are just adorable.
YOU STOOD UP! I leaned you against the exersaucer to see Zoey and you held yourself up! Slightly terrifying... It's begun!
3rd
Tonight you the most disgusting thing yet. You had such a HUGE blowout that there was more poop outside of you diaper than in it! You and I were both covered in poop by the end. You even managed to get some on your nose. It took two baths to get you clean and sanitized. But don't worry, you stayed cool, calm and collected throughout the entire ordeal. I wish I could say the same about your dad and me. :)
November 2010
31st *written by Dad
I am locked in a church classroom with you right now; you had a break down - MAJOR and while I write this you are red in the face and screaming! Thanks buddy.
29th
You have been awful today. It's a good thing you are so incredibly CUTE!!
Tonight's a big night for you big boy! You are sleeping in the nursery for the first time! Ver exciting for all of us! Dad can finally sleep in our bed instead of the couch since your snoring has moved to the other side of the house :)
28th
Congrats baby! You are now 4 months old!! And you are such a big boy! In fact, you are in the 95th percentile for height. You are so tall! You did get your shots today and I'm not sure you even noticed. You were too busy yelling at us. :) Funny boy.
So you decided you don't want to sleep tonight. It's after midnight. Thank you for being such a difficult baby. :) I love you anyway. You laughed at me for the first time a minute ago. Totally worth it.
25th *written by Aunty Noelle
Your mom and dad left you alone with just me (Aunt Noelle) and you were very happy and rolling around and talking. Well Zoey started crying so I laid her next to you on the floor. You rolled over onto your side facing her and talked to her. She immediately stopped crying and smiled back at you. Good big brother.
22nd
It is 6:30 in the morning and you are now ready for bed. You received your second bath of the night. I don't think I even need to tell you why the second bath was necessary. Your clothes are all soaking in oxiclean water right now...in case you needed a hint. Dad even had the nerve to say "poor baby." You are the one talking and smiling! You are the victorious one! :)
You've lost your voice which makes your little cries both pathetic and adorable.
21st
You are doing much better today. I am so glad. You are one very happy baby with the cutest little cough I have ever heard. Also, you are sleeping like a champ. Every time we put you in your bassinet you just go to sleep without making a peep. Thank you for making me feel like a good mom. All those battles are finally paying off.
20th
Today we took you to the doctor and found out you have 2 slight ear infections :( Poor baby. You were such a trooper though. We waited for an hour to get your prescription filled and you didn't even cry, even though I could tell you were miserable. You had a pretty tough night. You couldn't sleep unless I held you, so Dad surrendered the bed to us and I cuddled you all night. When you woke up at 4 AM to eat it seemed like you were feeling much better. You even slept in your bassinet the rest of the night.
19th
This morning I found you and your dad passed out in the living room. Dad fell asleep with you on the floor after feeding you. You are such a good little sleeper you just fell asleep sprawled out on the floor and you continued to sleep when we moved you to your bassinet.
18th
You rolled over a million times today! You were so proud of himself :)
16th
You went swimming today for the first time!! You kept leaning trying to get into the hot tub :)
15th
You managed to spit up inside of the front of my shirt today. That was fun :)
12th
You had a melt down tonight. I held you and rocked you to sleep. You looked like an angel.
7th
Max we left you on your stomach and later we found you on your back! You rolled over for the first time! YAY!
October 2010
