March of the Pilgrims

The Pilgrims made their way to Louisville to observe the custom of a Thanksgiving feast...

They traveled for hours upon hours by covered (motorized) wagon to reach their destination.....

Then consulted the elders of the community for wisdom....

Participated in a local tea ritual...

and cried "Happy Thanksgiving" to all!

Walk This Way

Max is officially a walking man! He took his first steps this morning straight into his Mama's arms. He was giggling and smiling as he walked four or five steps, which were naturally greeted with cheers, applause, and hugs!

"Paradise Lost" by Frank

Recently, I foolishly began to hope and dream once again. 

First, there was a massive celebration for the Baby creature. I was disgusted by the outpouring of resources, energy, and affection...all bestowed upon that thing instead of me. Worse yet, Bean and I were jailed throughout the fesitivites! Perhaps they sensed that I would plot an assisnation attempt during the royal inaguration? I was reduced to running around begging for scraps of attention after it was all over.

But redemption was in sight. Or so I thought. Just a few days ago, the Baby was removed from the home and the people remained! For one glorious night, it was just as it used to be. No doors were shut! Our food was in its customary spot! And I slept blissfully upon the legs of my people! No crying to awaken me early in the morn! Paradise found.

And paradise lost. My dream was shattered the following day. The Baby returned to much acclaim and excitement. Bean and I were once again cast aside. When will these people realize and accept the natural order? Me, as ruler and commander of the House with trusty Bean by my side, and the Baby exiled and never to return.

I dream a dream.....

Squirt

Max went for his 1 year check up and confirmed his status as the World's Slowest Growing Baby. According to their scale (I remain skeptical), he has not gained a single ounce since his nine month visit. He continues to be 17 pounds, 6 ounces. How is this possible? We do think he lost a little weight when he was sick, but surely not everything. He feels so much heavier! His height is 30 1/4 inches, which bumps him up to the 65th percentile. But according to the doctor, he remains....wait for it...."proportional". It looks like he is going to be tall and skinny, just like his Daddy, except with a much smaller head!

Max is doing well developmentally and showed off his strong lungs throughout the exam. He knew what was coming and was not pleased. I don't know who had it harder during the shots this time - Max or his parents!

Sound and Picture Show

For a picture recap of Max's first year, go here.

Enjoy!

Happy Birthday, Max!

Dear Max,

It is your first birthday! I look at your precious face and cannot remember what life was like before you were here. And despite my attempt to memorize every detail, the events of this amazing year are already starting to blur a bit. Initially, I started this blog to keep other people updated about your life. But it has become my virtual scrapbook, and also my love letter to you. For your birthday, I am having the blog printed in book format. You may never be interested in reading about your first year, but I will treasure the stories, pictures, and the memories. I have also used old emails to create posts for the time period before I started the blog so that it will be a complete record.  This is one small way I hope to convey how much we have enjoyed this incredible journey so far! 

Here is a look back in pictures of the last 12 months:

Newborn

1 Month

2 Months

3 Months

4 months

5 Months

 6 Months

7 Months

8 Months

9 Months

10 Months

11 Months

12 Months

One Year

Max, we know that you are a child of God and that you belong to Him. But, oh, how we are enjoying the babysitting! We love you!

Love, Mommy and Daddy

12 Months = 1 Year

Dear Max,

Here it is...the big one. You are 12 months (1 year old) at last! Aren't you proud of Mommy and Daddy for getting you this far?

You are starting to show your stubborn side. You have been able to stand independently for quite a while. You speed through the house with your walking toys, barely touching them for balance. We know you could take steps if you wanted to. But no matter how much we tempt you and try to bribe you to walk towards us, you just grin and drop to your knees to crawl. Silly baby.

I was surprised at how easily we had transitioned to regular milk and almost all table foods. I should have known you were trying to fool me. Over the past week, we have taken two steps back. All of a sudden, you don't want to pick up your food and eat, you want to be spoon fed - baby food. You have even been turning up your nose at bread...your favorite staple! And you don't want milk either. Aren't you a little young for a hunger strike? No more reading about Gandhi in this house.

Max, you are a laughing machine. You love to be tickled and chased, and just blowing on your face will send you into hysterics. Each time you giggle, it shows off all those new teeth...six and counting. Your laugh makes us laugh. I cannot remember a time in my life when I laughed so often each day. You bring so much joy to the simplest events. Thank you for the gift of you and the best 12 months.

Love, Mommy

On the Night You Were Born...

Dear Max,

On the day I went into labor, you gave me no clues or indications that you were ready to make an appearance. Your due date was five weeks away. It was a Friday and I had gone to work, as usual. Our office closed early on Fridays, so I decided to go to the mall to get some Christmas shopping done since I knew you would be born near the holiday. We were leaving on the following Wednesday to go to Louisville for Thanksgiving and a couples baby shower, where we expected to receive the crucial gift of your car seat. That night, Daddy and I went to dinner to celebrate good news about his bonus at work. I declined the champagne, always thinking of your well-being :) I enjoyed a huge and delicious dinner and was snug in bed by 10:00. 

Around 11:00, I woke up to use the bathroom. No surprise. I had to go often during the night. Except, I kept having to go back to the bathroom. After several flushes, Daddy came upstairs to investigate. I explained the problem and told him adamantly that it was NOT my water breaking because we still had five weeks and I was NOT ready yet. But you had other plans. The doctor on call laughed and told me to go to the hospital because I was probably in labor. I called Grammy and Grandpa scared and worried that you were coming too soon. I was also peeved at you because I had not packed a bag for the hospital yet and had no clean clothes. Laundry day was scheduled for Saturday. As Daddy and I drove to the hospital, we joked about how this would be our "trial run" since we were both still convinced that I wasn't in labor. Obviously, we were wrong. 

You arrived the following afternoon after a fairly easy labor. We got one quick snuggle before you were whisked off to the newborn nursery for them to monitor your lungs and breathing. A few hours later, you were moved to the NICU for what we thought would be a short stint. As frightening as it was at the time, your vacation in the NICU gave us a little bit of time to get used to the idea that you were indeed here! And to get a carseat, so that we could take you home from the hospital. It wouldn't be the last time you surprised us! 

And that is the story of the night you were born....

Love, Mommy

Royal Birthday Bash

It's cake we will eat

And Happy Birthday we will sing,

Come help us pay homage

To the Baby King!

It was a Royal First Birthday Party for Max, King of Babies!

There were castles and crowns galore....

Including on Max's outfit and shoes!

To celebrate the occasion, family and friends of all ages...

came from near......

 

...and far

 including Auntie Beckers and Mama Nell all the way from Chattanooga!

The kids decorated their own stunning crowns to wear at the party!

Max is a most unusual monarch. He was not impressed by the the cake. Bring on the bread instead!

Max received many wonderful gifts! He now has enough toys to fill the bathtub with no room left for him. He can populate his own "Little People" city. And he has so many new books, we might have to get him a second bookshelf. Plus, plenty of other toys that defy description!

Naturally, it was Grammy and Grandpa who picked his favorite gift - the push buggy. He has already made endless loops around the house, both being pushed and trying to push it himself!

Thank you to everyone for making Max's first birthday a special event!

Reunion Rewind

Almost exactly a year ago, Jason and I were constantly driving back and forth in the dark to visit the NICU at the hospital. So it felt oddly familiar to be doing that same thing again this week. However, this time there was an important difference...the baby was in the backseat instead of at the hospital!

 

Max attended his first NICU reunion and we were amazed by the range of ages and stories of the children who were brought together. We had hoped to see "our" nurses, but we couldn't find Mean Nurse Sandy (she called herself that - she wasn't really mean, just stubborn in working to get Max to go home!) We are extremely grateful to the incredible nurses and doctors who took care of Max. And we continue to pray for the little ones and their families who are currently in the NICU, especially sweet Blair. If you ever need to see evidence of God's grace and power, attend an event like this one. 

What a difference a year makes!

Wean, Baby, Wean!

The end is drawing near. The time has come. The final act. I am in the process of weaning Max. 

From the beginning, I had planned to nurse Max for his first year or as long as he was interested. His interest has not decreased, so Mommy is giving him a nudge of encouragement to make the split. I am proud that we made it the whole year, and, hereby award myself a gold star for the achievement!  There were times when it was not easy or comfortable, and times when I felt restricted by my decision to breastfeed and to not supplement. But those are all outweighed by the times of snuggling together...just me and Max. I already miss our special periods throughout the day.

Upon starting cups of whole milk, Max let us know that we were not fooling him. Gradually, we used some breast milk to sweeten the whole milk and ease the transition. Now, he is drinking plain milk without a problem. I am still astounded by the ease of opening the refrigerator to pour a cup from the container. So simple! 

Max and I are continuing his final bedtime feeding. I'll do that one as long as he wants....well, maybe not. You won't find me on YouTube nursing an eight year old! 

"Acceptance Speech" by Baby Max

With honor, I accept the Presidency. 

I am your once and future King. 

I am your President. 

I am Every Baby.

"Rock the Baby Vote" by Baby Max

My loyal subjects:

I have taken great pride in serving as your humble monarch for the past year. I have achieved many amazing advances for my fellow babies. I conquered the infidel cats and then forged a peace treaty that will prevent them from challenging our rule in the future. I have squashed all other outside threats and dissent. I brought prosperity and power to the hands of all babies. I taught the humans how to appropriately serve and obey us. Life has been good.

Recently, murmurings of unhappiness and even labels such as "tyrant" have reached my ears. I cannot believe that my citizens are turning against me. Thus, I have decided to give you a voice in choosing your ruler. I have agreed to submit to democratic elections. You may cast your ballot today for me - Max, King of Babies - or for my opponent. I trust you will all make the right decision. (And if you do not, I will be ready to step into the vacuum of power left in my absence and retake control.) You will have the opportunity to vote and express your opinions. Go forth and exercise your civic duty. Max for President for a Brighter Tomorrow!