Dear Max,
Sunday morning was a time I hope I never forget. I don't have any physical pictures, but I have tried to burn the images in to my brain and record it here so that maybe I can remember our sweet morning one day in the future. Dad is training for a marathon and was out doing a 23 mile training run, and you and I were home with colds. I expected it to be a low key morning with both of us feeling sort of puny, but we ended up creating some of my favorite memories.
As I was changing the sheets on our bed, I laid you in the middle and let the sheet billow up in the air and fall down on you softly. You would squeal and laugh with delight and had a huge, beautiful gummy smile on your face. Your little legs pumped with excitement and you reached your hands up in the air as high as you could to try and catch the sheet as it fell on your little body. A few times I dove in under the sheet so I could see your sweet face as the sheet came down. You looked in to my eyes with love and happiness and reached out to touch my cheek as though you wanted me to know how much fun you were having.
Once the bed was made up we snuggled and "wrestled" around on top of the covers. I'd scoop you up in my arms and rock back and forth before gently plopping you down on the bed and smothering you with kisses. You would giggle and make all kinds of noise as you tried to grab me and mouth me back, taking in big excited breaths as I scooped you up over and over again.
After a while we laid on the bed together with you on my belly and you pushed up on my chest and alternated "talking" to me and nuzzling my neck for a while. I found my heart growing as each minute passed and held you a bit tighter so I could soak in how small you are as I know it won't be this way for long.
Max, you are such a special little boy and I tell your Dad how much I love you no less than 100 times a day. Sometimes I can't believe you are ours. You are so perfect and I am so thankful that you have made our little family complete.
I love you!
Love,
Mom
Monday, February 25, 2013
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Where's Max?
At our house the classic "peek-a-boo" game takes several forms including "Where's Max?" and "Boo! Hey there!" (Note that "Daaaaark....Boo! Hey there!" is played slightly differently. Maybe we'll video it sometime!) Max is such a smart baby boy that he can play along now rather than having one of us do all the parts of the game!
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Mommy's Little Helper
Max is such a sweet boy. He helps me sort socks when I'm folding laundry....
... and he even gives me foot rubs...
I think I'm going to like this whole Mommy gig... ;-)
... and he even gives me foot rubs...
I think I'm going to like this whole Mommy gig... ;-)
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Dear Max: Five Months Old
Dear Max,
It is hard to believe I am already writing your five month letter! It seems as though I was just putting the final touches on your four month letter. Time flies when you're having fun, right? I'm sure I'll write this every month, but your little personality is emerging more each day, and you are becoming more aware of the world around you. Last month I mentioned that we weaned you off your pacifier. Well, little baby, we reintroduced it about a week later for our sanity. This time around, though, we just use it for going to sleep and not just when you are generally fussy. Also, if you don't start sucking on it right away (sometimes you sort of chew it or loll it around in your month) we take it away. Maybe we will give weaning off the pacifier another go when you are a bit older. Dad and I are of the "if it helps, use it!" mentality, especially when it comes to helping you sleep.
I love this picture! My two favorite guys having a little man-to-man talk...
Your Dad and I have noticed how you really sit and look and study your environment. We can tell you are really soaking it all in and learning about how the world operates. In particular, you study faces and facial expressions quite intently. If you are close enough you often grab at noses, lips, and cheeks of the person talking as though you are trying to gain a deeper understanding of how it all works. Your other big area of exploration is texture. When someone is holding you, you almost always reach out and feel their shirt, buttons, zippers, or hair. Sometimes you clumsily stroke the object and other times you pat it over and over with a wide open palm. You do the same when you're holding a toy or a book, but those usually end up in your mouth as well. After you have your clothes changed and sometimes while we change your diaper, you grab on to whatever you are wearing with both hands and feel, tug, and try to wrestle the material in to your mouth. It's adorable. Damp, but adorable.
This month you are discovering that you have feet! So far you have only found one foot, though, and the sock on that foot is almost always halfway off because you pull on it all the time. Also, your new best friend is this sweet little baby who always seems to be in the mirror when we look! I wonder who he is and why he follows us around... hmmm... :-) When I show you the "other baby" you get a big smile and pump your legs. I often help you stand on your changing pad after a diaper change and let you "two" have a little conversation.
One of my favorite new developments is that you have started to laugh on a fairly regular basis. It's still sort of a "heh heh" and a squeak, but I can tell you are getting ready to give us lots of big belly laughs and giggles. We can usually get laughs out of you if we kiss your bare belly, kiss your neck really fast, or put our face close to yours and wiggle your body with both our hands. In addition to the big open mouthed smiles you have showed us for a while, you have started this other more closed mouth smile. It sort of looks like you are sucking on your gums a little, but I have a feeling it is giving us a glimpse of how you will smile once you have teeth. Your smiles are so big and genuine, and your Dad often comments how you really smile with your eyes, too. It's a beautiful thing to see such honest, transparent joy on your face and we can't help but smile back when we see you.
As far as physical development goes, I can tell your digestive system is getting more mature. You had mild acid reflux as a tiny baby and were sometimes pretty uncomfortable after a feeding and would spit up a lot (frequency and quantity). In the last few weeks your Dad asked me when the last time you'd had a big spit-up was and I couldn't really remember. There are times when you spit-up still, but it seems to be more related to having eaten too much at one time, or because we've gotten you too wound up, or we put you on your tummy too soon after eating. It also doesn't really bother you which is the other big difference (when it was the acid reflux you would cry when you spit-up because I'm sure it was burning your little throat).
Reading (patting, shaking, and tasting) books is fun!
You are still taking your time with rolling over. When you are on your back you'll roll to your side and stay there for a few moments, then flop back on to your back. If you are on your belly, you can push up really high (almost to your waist!) and sometimes you'll lean to one side, but don't seem to be trying to roll. Sometimes we roll you over to see if it will help you figure out what to do. Clearly it's not working so far, but I guess you'll roll when you're ready. We've started to joke that you are just going to skip rolling over and move straight to crawling or walking.
Talking with Grandmommy!
At Christmas you received a jumperoo and it is probably your favorite thing to do. We put you in and you jump and laugh and smile and are very focused when playing with the attached toys. It's hysterical to watch how excited you get in the jumperoo. I only let you stay in 20 - 30 minutes at a time because I feel like it might not be good for your hips (you sort of hang in it), but I think you would stay in there for an hour if I let you.
There are still some days when you are fairly quiet, but you "talk" to us more and more and seem to be exploring new sounds and volumes. Your teachers at daycare tell us you vocalize often and they think you are going to be a talkative little boy. Given that your Dad and I were (and are!) both pretty chatty, this is not surprising!
Sleepy snuggles with Grandma Joyce
As far as your physical appearance goes, your hair is really starting to fill in. You were born with a full head of hair, but it is definitely becoming thicker and there are even a few rouge really long hairs in front. The color is almost an exact match of my hair color. One day we even put the end of my ponytail on top of your head to get an idea of what you might look like with a really full head of hair. It was pretty funny! We are beginning to think your eye color is "set" as they haven't changed much in the past few weeks. They are a pretty gray-ish/hazel color and look gorgeous with your long eyelashes. So far we don't see any teeth coming in, but you sure can drool with the best of them. We are constantly drying off your face and hands but it's not quite to the point where you need to wear a bib all the time.
Note the drool droplet on your chin! Ha!
There were two very special occasions in your fourth month of life. The first was your baptism which was held at Sharp Memorial United Methodist Church in Young Harris, Georgia.
We haven't found a church home locally, but do have an allegiance to Sharp UMC which is why we chose that church. The former pastor of that church officiated mine and Dad's marriage ceremony, and we have been tithing there for almost three years. Grandmommy and Granddaddy are active members, and all their friends were so excited to have the opportunity to support us in your baptism. We take the task of setting an example of leading a Christian life and teaching you about God and Jesus very seriously. We hope that you'll grow to know and love Christ, and develop a relationship with Him to guide you in decision making and in your relationships throughout your life.
The other special event was the birth of your newest little buddy, Saskia! She's a beautiful baby!
Your Dad and Saskia's dad, "Uncle" Steve, have been best friends for close to 30 years. "Uncle" Steve and "Aunt" Kirsten are very special friends to us and you and Saskia will undoubtedly spend lots of time together over the years. It will be fun to see you two play together, especially once you are old enough to interact (as opposed to just laying on the floor next to each other). "Uncle" Walter and "Aunt" Denise are our other very special friends whose doggy, Abby, will be a great playmate for you two. So far Abby hasn't minded you one bit and will hopefully still enjoy you and Saskia once you guys are big enough to chase her around.
Here is a photo from Uncle Walter's birthday party!
Here are some facts about you as a five month old boy...
New Nicknames: M.J. Butterboy, Mr. Slobberface, Mr. Drooly-man, Tough Guy (given after I accidentally cut you while trimming your fingernails on two different occasions and you didn't cry... sorry!)
Loves: Jumping in the jumperoo, singing songs, playing with "the baby in the mirror", licking your car seat straps while we buckle you in, touching and patting everything, having someone hold you, being upright in general so you can see what is going on
Dislikes: Sitting in your bouncy seat while we eat dinner (I often end up holding you in my lap while we eat)
Height: Not sure... we didn't have a pediatrician visit this month. We always say, "How big is Max? Two feet tall!" when we help you stand. Technically you're probably a little over two feet tall at this point.
Weight: Again, not sure, but I'd guess you are around 15 or 16 pounds.
Head Circumference: Not sure...
Clothing Size: 3 month, 3-6 month, a few 6 month, size 2 diapers
You are an awesome baby and Dad and I love you so, so much!
Love,
Mom
It is hard to believe I am already writing your five month letter! It seems as though I was just putting the final touches on your four month letter. Time flies when you're having fun, right? I'm sure I'll write this every month, but your little personality is emerging more each day, and you are becoming more aware of the world around you. Last month I mentioned that we weaned you off your pacifier. Well, little baby, we reintroduced it about a week later for our sanity. This time around, though, we just use it for going to sleep and not just when you are generally fussy. Also, if you don't start sucking on it right away (sometimes you sort of chew it or loll it around in your month) we take it away. Maybe we will give weaning off the pacifier another go when you are a bit older. Dad and I are of the "if it helps, use it!" mentality, especially when it comes to helping you sleep.
I love this picture! My two favorite guys having a little man-to-man talk...
Your Dad and I have noticed how you really sit and look and study your environment. We can tell you are really soaking it all in and learning about how the world operates. In particular, you study faces and facial expressions quite intently. If you are close enough you often grab at noses, lips, and cheeks of the person talking as though you are trying to gain a deeper understanding of how it all works. Your other big area of exploration is texture. When someone is holding you, you almost always reach out and feel their shirt, buttons, zippers, or hair. Sometimes you clumsily stroke the object and other times you pat it over and over with a wide open palm. You do the same when you're holding a toy or a book, but those usually end up in your mouth as well. After you have your clothes changed and sometimes while we change your diaper, you grab on to whatever you are wearing with both hands and feel, tug, and try to wrestle the material in to your mouth. It's adorable. Damp, but adorable.
This month you are discovering that you have feet! So far you have only found one foot, though, and the sock on that foot is almost always halfway off because you pull on it all the time. Also, your new best friend is this sweet little baby who always seems to be in the mirror when we look! I wonder who he is and why he follows us around... hmmm... :-) When I show you the "other baby" you get a big smile and pump your legs. I often help you stand on your changing pad after a diaper change and let you "two" have a little conversation.
One of my favorite new developments is that you have started to laugh on a fairly regular basis. It's still sort of a "heh heh" and a squeak, but I can tell you are getting ready to give us lots of big belly laughs and giggles. We can usually get laughs out of you if we kiss your bare belly, kiss your neck really fast, or put our face close to yours and wiggle your body with both our hands. In addition to the big open mouthed smiles you have showed us for a while, you have started this other more closed mouth smile. It sort of looks like you are sucking on your gums a little, but I have a feeling it is giving us a glimpse of how you will smile once you have teeth. Your smiles are so big and genuine, and your Dad often comments how you really smile with your eyes, too. It's a beautiful thing to see such honest, transparent joy on your face and we can't help but smile back when we see you.
As far as physical development goes, I can tell your digestive system is getting more mature. You had mild acid reflux as a tiny baby and were sometimes pretty uncomfortable after a feeding and would spit up a lot (frequency and quantity). In the last few weeks your Dad asked me when the last time you'd had a big spit-up was and I couldn't really remember. There are times when you spit-up still, but it seems to be more related to having eaten too much at one time, or because we've gotten you too wound up, or we put you on your tummy too soon after eating. It also doesn't really bother you which is the other big difference (when it was the acid reflux you would cry when you spit-up because I'm sure it was burning your little throat).
Reading (patting, shaking, and tasting) books is fun!
You are still taking your time with rolling over. When you are on your back you'll roll to your side and stay there for a few moments, then flop back on to your back. If you are on your belly, you can push up really high (almost to your waist!) and sometimes you'll lean to one side, but don't seem to be trying to roll. Sometimes we roll you over to see if it will help you figure out what to do. Clearly it's not working so far, but I guess you'll roll when you're ready. We've started to joke that you are just going to skip rolling over and move straight to crawling or walking.
Talking with Grandmommy!
At Christmas you received a jumperoo and it is probably your favorite thing to do. We put you in and you jump and laugh and smile and are very focused when playing with the attached toys. It's hysterical to watch how excited you get in the jumperoo. I only let you stay in 20 - 30 minutes at a time because I feel like it might not be good for your hips (you sort of hang in it), but I think you would stay in there for an hour if I let you.
There are still some days when you are fairly quiet, but you "talk" to us more and more and seem to be exploring new sounds and volumes. Your teachers at daycare tell us you vocalize often and they think you are going to be a talkative little boy. Given that your Dad and I were (and are!) both pretty chatty, this is not surprising!
Sleepy snuggles with Grandma Joyce
As far as your physical appearance goes, your hair is really starting to fill in. You were born with a full head of hair, but it is definitely becoming thicker and there are even a few rouge really long hairs in front. The color is almost an exact match of my hair color. One day we even put the end of my ponytail on top of your head to get an idea of what you might look like with a really full head of hair. It was pretty funny! We are beginning to think your eye color is "set" as they haven't changed much in the past few weeks. They are a pretty gray-ish/hazel color and look gorgeous with your long eyelashes. So far we don't see any teeth coming in, but you sure can drool with the best of them. We are constantly drying off your face and hands but it's not quite to the point where you need to wear a bib all the time.
Note the drool droplet on your chin! Ha!
There were two very special occasions in your fourth month of life. The first was your baptism which was held at Sharp Memorial United Methodist Church in Young Harris, Georgia.
We haven't found a church home locally, but do have an allegiance to Sharp UMC which is why we chose that church. The former pastor of that church officiated mine and Dad's marriage ceremony, and we have been tithing there for almost three years. Grandmommy and Granddaddy are active members, and all their friends were so excited to have the opportunity to support us in your baptism. We take the task of setting an example of leading a Christian life and teaching you about God and Jesus very seriously. We hope that you'll grow to know and love Christ, and develop a relationship with Him to guide you in decision making and in your relationships throughout your life.
The other special event was the birth of your newest little buddy, Saskia! She's a beautiful baby!
Your Dad and Saskia's dad, "Uncle" Steve, have been best friends for close to 30 years. "Uncle" Steve and "Aunt" Kirsten are very special friends to us and you and Saskia will undoubtedly spend lots of time together over the years. It will be fun to see you two play together, especially once you are old enough to interact (as opposed to just laying on the floor next to each other). "Uncle" Walter and "Aunt" Denise are our other very special friends whose doggy, Abby, will be a great playmate for you two. So far Abby hasn't minded you one bit and will hopefully still enjoy you and Saskia once you guys are big enough to chase her around.
Here is a photo from Uncle Walter's birthday party!
Here are some facts about you as a five month old boy...
New Nicknames: M.J. Butterboy, Mr. Slobberface, Mr. Drooly-man, Tough Guy (given after I accidentally cut you while trimming your fingernails on two different occasions and you didn't cry... sorry!)
Loves: Jumping in the jumperoo, singing songs, playing with "the baby in the mirror", licking your car seat straps while we buckle you in, touching and patting everything, having someone hold you, being upright in general so you can see what is going on
Dislikes: Sitting in your bouncy seat while we eat dinner (I often end up holding you in my lap while we eat)
Height: Not sure... we didn't have a pediatrician visit this month. We always say, "How big is Max? Two feet tall!" when we help you stand. Technically you're probably a little over two feet tall at this point.
Weight: Again, not sure, but I'd guess you are around 15 or 16 pounds.
Head Circumference: Not sure...
Clothing Size: 3 month, 3-6 month, a few 6 month, size 2 diapers
You are an awesome baby and Dad and I love you so, so much!
Love,
Mom
Friday, February 1, 2013
Max's Baptism
The pastor who married me and Ben, Darris Baker, was from Sharp Memorial United Methodist Church in Young Harris, Georgia - a neighboring town to Hiawassee. Darris was reassigned to a church south of Atlanta about a year after we were married and a new pastor, David Tinsley, was assigned at Sharp. When we learned of Darris' reassignment we were sad, not only because we felt like a friend was moving away, but also because we hoped he would be able to baptize our child one day. We have continued to attend Sharp when we are in Hiawassee and Ben and Peggy have become members since that time as well. Ben and I have not found a church home where we both feel comfortable, so we consider Sharp to be "our" church despite the fact that it is far away and we are not able to attend regularly.
We have gotten to know David a bit over the past few years and asked if he would baptize Max. He was happy to do so, and we feel so fortunate that Max was able to receive the sacrament of baptism in such a close knit and loving community. As you may recall, Ben and Peggy's friends hosted a baby shower for us last summer, and they have continued to be supportive and enthusiastic. It's sort of like having an additional 20 - 30 sets of grandparents. :-)
The weather was beautiful for Max's baptism on Sunday, January 27 at the 11:00am service. David gave us the choice to do the baptism after the first hymn or before the last hymn. We chose to have it earlier in the service as we thought it would give us a better chance at not having a tired, cranky baby. haha Max was his sweet, observant self during the whole thing. Our hearts swelled with love and pride for Max, and we were overwhelmed with gratitude that God has chosen us as his parents. We hoped to take formal family pictures at the church after the service, but poor Max was ready for a nap and wasn't quite in the mood to have his picture taken.
After the church service our family and 30 - 40 of Max's "honorary grandparents" enjoyed lunch at a nearby restaurant. Because we had such a large group we were able to reserve a private room. I made table tents that the staff put out before we arrived. It has a baptismal prayer on one side and a thank you note from me and Ben on the other. We also had a little table off to the side with the alter flowers (given by Ben and Peggy in honor of Max), another framed thank you note from me and Ben, and cookie favors for everyone to take home. Peggy made sugar cookies and wrote "Max" on each one, and Ben and I made chocolate cookies and lemon cookies. Everyone seemed to enjoy the extra touches, and many people even started getting their favor before lunch!
Max fell asleep on the car ride over to the restaurant and got in a good snooze. When he woke up he was Mr. Smiles and enjoyed meeting everyone and getting passed around. Needless to say he was quite the little charmer and he received many invitations to come play.
Enjoy some more scenes from the day!
Video Watching Tip: Turn up your volume to watch the speaking portion of the video and get ready to turn it down again when the congregation begins to sing. Special thanks to Max's Uncle John for videoing the event, and to cousin Olivia for taking pictures!
The Sacrament of Baptism for Children
(To Parents:)
Do you believe in Jesus Christ and put your trust in Him for all things? Yes
Do you promise to bring up your child in the Christian faith, including prayer, Bible reading, and the example of your own life? Yes
Do you promise to bring your child to church to worship and learn about God until he believes in Jesus Christ and becomes a member of the church? Yes
What name have you given this child? Max Julian
Max Julian, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Congregation, the Lord calls upon you to support these parents in fulfilling these baptismal vows. How do you respond? We will, by the grace of God.
Baptismal Prayer
(printed on the table tents at reception)
Lord,
We bring this miracle to you so fresh from heaven and ask that you would hear our prayers and share our joy this day. Pour your Holy Spirit into this tiny heart, and wrap your loving arms around this special child. May your grace freely shine into this precious life, and in all the days ahead let this heart rejoice in living as your own forgiven child.
Amen.
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