Nearly 5 Months....

I can hardly believe how the time is flying. Max will be 5 months on the 16th. Ever since I've gone back to work, the time has flown at a startling pace. Some evenings I only spend 45 minutes with him before he's ready for bed. Fortunately I'm still only working 3 days a week so those days are the exception to the rule.

What's new with Max....

-He's making crawling motions when he's on his belly. He draws his knees up and then strikes his legs out. He's not going anywhere yet but perhaps soon?

-During meal times he watches Alex and I intently and is fascinated by food. Tonight Alex put the empty spoon in his mouth and he eagerly sucked away. Max definitely gets that this whole meal thing is a process he would like to be a part of. We're going to attempt rice cereal next weekend.

-He's exploring with greater accuracy. Now when I place him in his car seat instead of screaming bloody murder he quietly explores his infant seat. He scratches his fingers on the cover above him, pulls at the handle, etc. I think I definitely prefer quiet exploration over screaming bloody murder. Call me crazy!

-Growing like a weed. Well, I guess that's not new. He's nearly outgrown his infant carrier. He's an inch from the top and weighs...plenty. Many of the tags on his clothes read "12 months". Which don't even get me started on how confusing sizing is amongst clothes makers. I could rant about that for days.

Most of all he's remaining a grogeous, sweet, genius child whom Alex and I are madly in love with!

The Honey Bucket is Back!

I wonder if the Honey Bucket company has a Frequent Renter's Club? If so we're on our way to qualifying. In July there was the infamous event where at 8 months pregnant I came home to discover Alex had torn out the bathroom and we were without facilities. His solution? "I can get you a bucket." And no, he wasn't initially referring to the portable outhouse variety. Anyhow, that story has made the rounds to the point where people I didn't tell it to will bring it up to me.

Alas, the Honey Bucket is back in our driveway. The reason this time? A basement remodel! We're taking our tired, musty basement space and turning it into a finished laundry room, family room, bedroom and bathroom. We will now have a moment of silence for the shag carpet and faux fire scene that were casualties of the remodel........

It's exciting to walk downstairs every day after work and see the progress. Today they cut up the cement floor to lay pipe. There is also a large hole by our back door where a well window will be. Of course all of this progress comes with inconveniences such as systems out of commission. Did I mention that we won't have heat this weekend? The duct work is in shambles. I hear that we'll be without water for a few days at some point. Will I be using the Honey Bucket? Not on your life! Max and I are checking in at Chez Mom's. Call me when the remodel is over!

Merry 1st Christmas, Max!

Max has certainly been enjoying the spoils of the day. Here he is on his brand new pony from Grandpa and Sue. Let's hope there isn't a red ryder bb gun to go with it next year. Ride 'em, cowboy!

Merry Christmas to you all!

Off The Charts

I've long hoped my son would be an overachiever. I didn't necessarily have his growth chart in mind but that will do. At Max's ped appointment today he charted out in the 90th percentile for weight and head circumfrence. He was "off the chart" for height.

She also noted that he's such a strong, active boy that she wouldn't be surprised to find him crawling at 6 months. I'm not sure whether this is good news or bad news. I clearly remember when Sydney learned to crawl. She always wanted down to crawl in the dirtiest of locations and would scream if her demands weren't met. Can't he just go straight to walking? It would be so much more sanitary! ;-)

4 Months: Age of the Live Wire

Max turned 4 months old this past Sunday and with that it seems, he has transitioned into a mexican jumping bean. Where a few weeks ago he would quietly knead the tablecloth in front of him, he now pulls the entire cloth on to his lap. When I lay him in his crib he quickly flips himself over in frustration and then becomes further enraged as he mauls the mattress with his slobbery face. During play time his arms and legs pump wildly like he's in an invisible johnny jump up. As he eats he's fascinated by sights behind him...in front of him...to his right...back behind in....no, in front....oh, no definitely to his left.....all this with a particularly sensitive part of my anatomy clenched between his lips. I didn't know it could stretch that far....and I'm pretty sure it's not supposed to.

We've got a live one!

The Golden Rule

Most of you who know me are aware of the golden rule in my household..."Never leave Alex home alone!" There is a long history behind this one. I've come home to missing walls, missing bathrooms, new arcade games...the list goes on and is frankly too painful to fully relive. Bless his dear heart, he always means well. It's just that his enthusiasm sometimes gets ahead of his ability to reason.

When I was on maternity leave I had the good fortune to be at home on watch and had nearly forgotten the danger. My first week back at work Alex ended up with a day off so that he could meet up with some contractors here at the house. I came home and discovered that our internet and cable had been shut off effective immediately and that we were the proud owners of a new ladder.

It took Alex less than 24 hours to realize that ending the internet access was a mistake. The cable we could live without. The ladder? Still a mystery to me. After several phone calls he did end up getting us a better monthly internet rate and we were reconnected...a week later.

Point being, that is where I have been. It wasn't that the first week back was so traumatic. Max has adjusted quite well. He loves playing with his cousin Sydney who can get a smile out of him with very little effort. I love that Mom is the nap inducing champion and gets 3 solid naps out of him a day. 2 weeks, 6 work days, 1 shiny new ladder....and the transition back to work is complete.

Where Archaeologists Never Venture...

My husband loves a good shower. In fact he usually takes 2 a day. Sometimes more. I think it has something to do with being in the Navy since I've never known men who like to shower as much as Navy veterans do. I suppose living on a ship largely populated by men, I'd never feel clean either. Can you imagine?

Point being Alex likes to be clean and he likes a clean son as well. Fortunately Max is always up for a bath. Loves them! Alex and I tag team him and have a complete system worked out about who scrubs where. This is why it surprised me when Max started stinking a bit. When I'd nuzzle his face, I'd occasionally notice the stink of sour milk. His fresh spit up couldn't smell that bad, could it? In fact, no.

Several days later Max and I were enjoying a tummy time session. He had his neck arched up in an atypical position and I noticed a red mark. What is that? I looked closer and realized that it was raw skin. Upon closer inspection I found a small amount of white curdish material. Oh my, it appeared Max was attempting to colonize his own cottage cheese in his deepest neck fold. I swear I wipe his neck on a regular basis but apparently his neck folds are a bit more cavernous than they appear. Alas, a through neck cleansing has now become a part of our morning ritual. At least until I have need of yeast for a bread starter. I have the perfect spot for that!