Going to Grandma's

Tomorrow Max is taking his first out of town trip without mommy and daddy. He will be flying out at 7am with Grandad-E to go see his great grandma and grandpa in Illinois. He is SO excited! I used to love taking trips to see them in the summertime, I would get to fly by myself and spend a week or more there. Then on Monday there will be a carload of people coming back to KC :) Grandma Dee and Grandad-E will drive home with Max, Aunt Beckie, and Cousins Brice and Rider. They will be staying for a little over a week! YAY!

Max has been doing much better with his eating phobia... He still won't feed himself the foods that are soft, cold or squishy but he'll eat them if you put them in his mouth. Since last week he has eaten chicken and veggies, green beans and rice, beef ravioli, lasagna, and turkey and rice. Also some not so baby foods... fruity cheerios, yogurt (I would venture to say that he loves this more than puffs...), pasta salad, black olives, pepperoni, oatmeal cream pies:), cheese and rice. He is way more accepting of new flavors and textures and I am sure that with a few more teeth he'll take off and we can STOP buying baby food!!

He is just as active as ever, we went to PT on Monday and he blew Michelle away. He was crawling everywhere (even off the playmat), standing up and dancing and just being plain cute! He has started to cruise around the furniture, mainly going after things he is not supposed to get: cell phones, iPods, computer, remotes, etc. But, hey! At least he is moving! He has also learned the word No! and heard it more than once a hundred times! Along with No! comes learning to throw fits. If he is getting something he isn't supposed to and I say no, he sits down, turns bright red, makes the most pittiful face and cries without taking his eyes off of me. Also, no tears. He has managed to make it work about 70% of the time. What can I say? He's got me and his daddy right where he wants us!

Standing fool.





Fried. Nope, no light sockets near by.



I love this picture, he will stand and look out the window instead of playing with toys. The other day Clark and I went outside and looked in at him... he was very amused by this!



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Mohawk Revisited!

getting around

Max is totally out of control! He can not only crawl anywhere he wants to go but he has now mastered standing up against just about any object. He can shimmy up the leg of the coffee table. Scale the front of the entertainment center. Squeeze up the leather of the chair. Stick his fingers into the holes of the laundry basket. Scale a rock wall. Ok, I made the last one up, but maybe he could if he tried! He has mastered it. And he has the bruises to prove it. I have always learned throughout nursing school and now working at a children's hospital that bruises in various stages of healing can be signs of child abuse. Luckily his are all in very bony places and if you ask me I think they are pretty stinking cute. He looks so tough!

The newest thing we have been working on is eating more solid foods and having Max feed himself. I mean you would think with the way he inhales the puffs that he would love feeding himself. Ha. I wish. He is doing a little better, but honestly 90% of the time he acts like I am either trying to poison him or give him rotten eggs (which kinda sounds like poison!). He makes this sour face and pulls back shaking his head vigorously. It sounds funny, and it was, for about the first 100 times. Now, it is just plain annoying. He will eat a lot of things if I force gently place them in his mouth. I have tried a lot of tricks with no luck. He only likes the baby foods that are sweet: Apples and Chicken, Sweet potatoes and Turkey, yellow and orange veggies, and EVERY fruit/dessert item available. I can't say I blame him, I do love dessert, but he is entirely too picky!!! We tried spaghetti with some success, he didn't care for the chunks when eating from a spoon. He occasionally eats mac and cheese. He gags on anything new and if it isn't one of the above mentioned he fussess the entire time he is eating. We made homemade food: mashed potato and peas... not having it. Melon puree... this one he loves, of course!! Jello... also loves. Ravioli... nope. Yesterday he ate bread, cheese and some roast beef with only a few fusses. The biggest problem - he finds it horribly repulsive to touch the food himself. He won't eat it unless I feed him. He'll grab it then let go like it is on fire or covered in slime. He's a mess. Anyone else's kids do this? Is it a phase? It is driving me nuts!!!!!!!!! Some of his faces are cute though.... :)

This is watermelon. He was feeding himself so well, but gagged a little on a bigger chunk. I cut it a little smaller and he wanted nothing to do with it... aggh!






Vegetable Beef Dinner. This is the face I get.


Feel sorry for me!!


He had about a 5 course meal tonight by the time I found something he would eat.

As for us? We had T-bone steaks, potatoes and salad for dinner. Nothing fancy, just put some steak seasoning on the steaks and grilled them. Potatoes any way, we love them roasted but tonight had a fussy baby so we pan-fried them quick. Then salad with toasted asain sesame dressing... yum-o! And after all the fussing I could sure use some Sheridans. They should deliver.

Good Night!!!

storms...

Well, I have had a long and boring day sitting in a trauma conference and I really had no intention of staring at the computer screen. But, I am unable to watch all of my favorite thursday night shows due to the annoying very important storm coverage. So... here I am.

Last week on Friday morning GG passed away. She peacefully rested in her hospital bed and took her last breath with no more pain. Her family is of course sad and will miss her, but the memorial service was very nice and we all know she was ready to go and be done with her struggling.

Max's last visit with GG:



This picture is of Max on his way to Taco Tuesday on Cinco de Mayo. He passed out on the way, then stayed up the whole way home! I wish I could put pics from my phone on here (well, guess I should say I wish I knew how!) because I have a very funny picture of Max livin it up. He got an array of party favors, a corona hat, a corona light-up necklace and a tecate tequila maraca. Yeah, we think we are teaching him some very good lessons early on... And in the picture he has the hat on backwards and the maraca in his hand. He was so entertained by the toys we might have definitely stole them for future playing!

I love how he has is hand on the monkey so gently... if he were awake that monkey would not be handled gently at all.



Yesterday Clark and I decided to take Max to a park and see if he liked swinging. He asked Grandma Dee for a playground for his back yard and we wanted to make sure he would have fun.

What do you think?




I say go for it!!!

This makes me sooo excited for summer: playing outside and swimming. We have a lot of making up to do in the fun department after last summer!

So, I know you all are wondering how the March of dimes walk went? AMAZING!!! We had over 50 people turn up to walk and we raised at least $700. (I don't know the exact total, but hopefully they will let me know.) The bbq was a lot of fun as well. We went through 50 hamburger patties, at least 50 hot dogs and I won't even tell you how much beer. (those of you who were here know...) BIG THANKS TO EVERYONE!!! We are very blessed to have such great friends and family to come out and show their support. And Grandma Dee had a birthday mixed in with the day so we all enjoyed some birthday cake as well! Again, we cannot thank you all enough!

Today Max spent the day with Miss Paige and her boys Cooper and Carter. She agreed to babysit last minute so Clark would be able to sleep (remember, I had a class ALL day!). Thanks Paige, you are a lifesaver!!! I have to tell you, too, Max came home looking like a true boy, dirty needing a bath! It was adorable, he is really tough and rugged now!