Happy 2010

Happy New Years Resolutions everyone! Though I didn't keep my 2009 resolution (to go to bed with a tidy house) one single day in 2009, I am doing a good job so far with my many 2010 resolutions, one of which is to update Max's blog once a week. So, grandparents - lament no more! There shall be a plethora of Max photos (and it's not like you don't see him often anyway). : )

Over the holidays we had a great, though hectic time with lots of visits with family and friends. Max opened his first Christmas presents, and couldn't have been less interested. Next year that will all be different. First we celebrated with the Itos. Here is Max opening gifts with Uncle Jon:


And we had a lovely visit with the Mochizukis - Min on the right was the one who married us 4 1/2 years ago and also married Mike's parents 39 1/2 years ago. We were so thrilled that they were able to stop by and meet Max. Max only had eyes for Min's wife June.

Then we headed for our whirlwind trip to Michigan to visit Mike's family in the Detroit area - Max just LOVES his cousins!

And doggies - seriously daddy, I think Max really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really wants a dog. Preferably a big one.

Santa managed to find us Christmas morning even though we weren't at home and brought Max his first stocking. Complete with a hand-knit hat that Mrs. Klaus must have made for him.

Max had a visit with Uncle Phil who is headed overseas with the military this month.

Grandma Wood got Max a sled for Christmas so we took it out today to try it in our new fluffy snow. Max enjoyed it, and it was a good workout for me.

We had an amazing 2009, and are looking forward to a great 2010 watching this cutie pie grow up. We have lots of firsts ahead of us, including hopefully a first night of uninterrupted sleep as we started sleep training last night. Max surprised us by not crying as long as we thought he would. So we are making baby steps towards getting on track in the sleep department too.

And this is just another gratuitous shot of cute hand-knit items that I made for Max.

Happy New year!

We do kind of look like cousins, don't we?

I forgot! Mike, Max and I also took a trip back to the city last weekend to visit my cousin and her fiancee. We visited a GREAT restaurant near their condo - Uncommon Ground - and hung out for the afternoon. Max somehow peed on his socks and shoes and had to be changed into his pajamas. Silly Max.

Where do the days go?

This month has been another crazy one with grandparent visits, finishing getting settled into our new home, lots of social activities, and hosting dinners and holidays. Amazingly it has been six months since this adorable baby was born.

We had some great light in our family room yesterday morning so I took lots of pictures of him. Perhaps you will see one of these in your mailbox soon on a Christmas card.

Early in the month we took a trip to Michigan to introduce Max to (most of) the rest of Mike's family. He did well in the car (thanks in large part to some advanced breastfeeding techniques). Thank God for that - we didn't have too much car screaming this time.

While in Michigan we picked up Max's new favorite toy, his piano table, and discovered that he was able to stand on his own while playing it. He sits up on his own too - has been doing both of these things for almost a month now - he's a strong baby!

Max had his first taste of food last week. So far sweet potatoes and banana are a big hit. Avocado and rice cereal not as much. But, he eats like a champ.

We hosted Thanksgiving dinner in our new home. Our delicious turkey was 23.5 pounds. Max now weighs 15 lbs 5 oz. I missed out on a great photo op - Max next to the massive turkey. Max continues to be long and lean. He is in the 56th percentile for height and only 15th for weight. Now that he is eating solid foods, maybe the weight percentile will go up.

The day after Thanksgiving we headed over to the Morton Arboretum - it was a beautiful sunny day so we took some family pictures.

Max in his cute penguin hat made by Alyse's friend:

And now we are getting geared up for Max's first Christmas. We had brunch with Santa and our first Santa encounter last weekend. Max was fairly unimpressed and didn't cry - just gave his beard a little tug.

Happy holidays!!

Photos this time

We had a lovely day a week or so ago so Max (who can now sit up, more-or-less in the stroller) and I went for a nice long walk on the Prairie Path near our house. It is 60-something miles of biking/walking/running trails that wind through the western suburbs. I think we are going to love it! He did pretty well until the end of the walk when he just wanted to get home.


He's not doing much better in the car, but has some good moments. God help us for the drive to Michigan! Not looking forward to that one. However, just in the last week we've made some major progress on the sleep front - he has been napping by himself and not on my lap (though on the couch, so still not ideal...) for the past few days and we've been able to get him into the crib, at least for an hour or a little more at the beginning of bedtime. It's not much, but for us it is major progress.

Yesterday while in the Bumbo next to me while I was washing dishes, Max pulled on of my measuring spoons off its hanger on the wall and decided to eat it. His coordination is getting really good!

And one more picture of his cute Halloween costume. The cutest Wild Thing!

First Halloween

Max dressed up as Max (King of All Wild Things!) from Where the Wild Things Are for his first Halloween. It was the perfect re-purposing of an adorable bunting that Aunt Ruthi gave him.

We stayed here and gave out candy to the very few trick-or-treaters that braved the no-sidewalk side of the street. Good thing I bought five bags of candy!

Grandma Wood made up a version of peek-a-boo that Max was absolutely loving.

Max's First Vacation

Max celebrated his five-month birthday yesterday. He is getting so big and so expressive.

We are all getting settled in to our suburban routine. Yesterday we raked leaves for the first time - definitely not the last time this fall alone! This yardwork thing is new for both of us in our adult lives. I guess that's what happens when you reach your thirties...

We have been walking around, despite the cold weather this fall, exploring our new neighborhood. Max still prefers the Moby or Bjorn to the stroller, but he does tolerate it for longer periods of time these days - especially if he is freshly rested and fed.

We took Max on his first airplane ride last weekend when we tagged along on Mike's business trip to Virginia Beach. He did great on the plane - slept almost the whole time both ways. He was good at the hotel too and at the party we were there for. He got lots of attention as usual - especially since he was the only baby there...

He loved the extra time with daddy!

It was too cold to dip his feet in the Atlantic, but we watched the ocean from our balcony.

He didn't enjoy his first swim much - I don't blame him though. The pool was cold (too cold for me too!) and he didn't like going underwater at all. He was pretty clingy in the water, but later on we took him in the jaccuzi tub in our room, and he liked that much better - even letting us hold him to float on his back.

Overall, we had a really nice and relaxing first vacation with the baby. I am hoping to do it again soon!

Whirlwind

Whew - what a whirlwind month! We have spent the last six weeks or so packing, garage sale-ing, check-writing, house-buying, moving, un-packing and settling in. Max got in on the action (oh- and that is the super cute quilt I made for him while he was in utero):

He has been remarkably happy and flexible through the whole transition. (Thanks in large part to Grandma Alyse who has magic powers to help him sleep.)

This is our cute new home out in the suburbs. Though it didn't when we took this picture, it does now have a house number, mailbox and doorbell. Still no phone jacks though. Very strange. All three of my parents were an amazing help at getting the house ready to move in to and also to do some projects (see above house number, mailbox, and doorbell as well as pantry shelves, drawer pulls and cleaning among other things that got checked off the project list) after moving.

We are mostly unpacked and settled in - bookshelves purhcased and put together, kitchen and pantry totally unpacked and organized. The only big thing left to do is buy some furniture for our living room.

Max has recently discovered the joys of bouncy toys - both this one and the Exersaucer that keeps him occupied for at least enough time to unpack one box.

He did his first tummy-to-back roll on September 20 after Grandma Wood arrived for a visit - to everyone's suprise and delight. Good timing Max! When we applauded and cheered he cried though. Maybe a little too much enthusiasm on our part.

Though I may be biased, I do believe he just gets cuter every day. Uhh, no, he definitely isn't watching TV in this picture. Definitely not.

This seems to be his favorite new face - sucking on his bottom lip. He just started doing it this past weekend - it is so funny.

We'll try to do a better job of keeping this updated now that we are settling into our quiet suburban life. Do come visit!!