Happy 4th of July!!

Max is enjoying his first big holiday. I was all excited to put on his All American Baby outfit this morning. He looks pretty cute! With the baptism right around the corner we are pretty busy. Brian's brother, Andy, got into town last weekend with his wife and kids and his other brother, Jeff, and sister, Kathy, will get in today with their families. Our fourth of July will be spent out at Mindy and Jack's with all the kids running around. I think it will be a great way to spend the holiday. Enjoy your holiday and check back next week for details on the baptism!

Tummy Time

Since I am not very good at giving Max tummy time, I thought I would be more motivated if I took some pictures of him during tummy time. He lasted a couple minutes before he broke down. Hopefully soon he will make it to five mintues! He usually loves to smile, but I can never get a smile during tummy time. I guess practice will make perfect! Thirty minutes of tummy time - here we come!

Three Months Old?!

It is so hard to believe that our little guy is already three months old! With daddy back at work I have been a busy woman so it has been a while since I have posted. It seems like our days are over before they even begin. Max and I are having lots of fun!

Last week I had to go back to work to write curriculum. It was so hard to leave Max! The only thing that made it bearable was that he spent the week with Nonna Carlotta so I knew he was getting lots of love. He was a very good boy and he didn't seem fazed that I wasn't around, which I have to admit was a little bit sad! Come Friday I was so glad to be finished and get back to my little Max Man. I do think that this week helped to ease me into going back to work although I'm sure I will still cry come August when I have to leave him at daycare.


Max gets funnier every day. He is a very happy baby most of the time. He gives out smiles to anyone that glances his way. He has even started laghing out loud. Daddy put a bib on him the other day (he is quite the drooler/spitter) and he thought it was the funniest thing ever. His laughter is such a sweet sound! Laughing isn't the only new skill he has developed - he loves to 'talk'. He has always liked being talked to, but recently he started 'talking' back - but in a good way. He makes all kinds of noises and smiles like crazy. Then he stops and waits for me to talk some more. We can go back and forth for quite a while before he looses intrest. He is also getting huge! Some of his six month clothes are already getting a bit snug. I thought I would be able to put off buying nine month clothes until the fall, but now I think he will be ready for them in another month or so! I can't wait for his four month check up in a few weeks so I can see how much my little man weighs.

We had a visit on Thursday from out Parents As Teachers representative - I have only been trying to get them here since Max was born! She was very kind and she pointed out some things that I can work on with Max. She noticed that he isn't the best at tummy time - I don't do it enough becuase he hates it! She also suggested that I dangle some things in front of him to encourage him to grasp and track things with his eyes. Overall, I was very happy with the visit and I look forward to her coming back in August.

Fun Pictures

One of my coworkers has a daughter that does pohotography. As a gift Marie had her daughter come over and take some pictures of Max. I got the pictures today and I think they turned out pretty cute! Here are a few of them! Thanks Marie!!

Loving the Bumbo!

I finally convinced Brian to buck up for Max's newest gadget - the Bumbo. Since he is getting better at holding up his head and loves looking around, it is the perfect fit. He can sit up on his own in the bumbo. He lasts for about 5-10 minutes before his head starts to droop a bit. Here he is sitting and smiling. I just love those smiles!! It is hard to believe that he is 11 weeks old today!

He continues to do well. For two nights in a row he slept from 9pm until 4:30-5:30. Last night he woke up again for his 2 am feeding. Hopefully we will soon be able to eliminate that feeding all together. Those two nights of real sleep were wonderful and I can't wait until that is the norm!

Since I can't take enough pictures of Max here is one more. He just loves his monkey! Thanks Nonna Carlotta!

I'll take a cold one!

Cold bottle of milk of course, what did you think I wanted?

Little by little Max is discovering different things. One of the most exciting things he has discovered over the past couple weeks is his hands. He sucks on them, stares at them, and waves them all around. He is very excited about his new found toys. I thought this picture was cute, it looks like he is waving hi to everyone!

Since Dad has gone back to work Max and I have been working hard to get into a bit of a routine. He is sleeping a bit better at night. He isn't quite sleeping through the night but he will get one good stretch in most nights. Last night he ate at 8:30 then went to sleep. He slept until 2:30 and then woke up again at 6:00. We have started working on a bedtime routine, which has really helped. He seems to get tired at around the same time each night. We have been starting our bedtime routine at 8:30. He gets a bath, we read a story and he nurses. After he eats he is ready for bed. All of the books say having a routine is key to getting a little one to sleep better and it has seemed to help, although I do look forward to a time when he can make it all the way through the night.

Two Months Already?

Well two months have come and gone. While it is amazing to see all the changes in our little one, it is also a bit sad. Brian headed back to work today, so I am officially on my own during the day. It was so nice to have him home with us and I know it is going to take some getting used to now that he is back to work.

Max also had his two month check up last Friday. Everything looked good! He weighed in at 11 lb 12oz and measured 23 1/2 inches. He is just growing so quickly. When I look at some of the earlier pictures it is hard to believe that it the same baby. At the end of the appointment came the tough stuff - the vaccinations. My poor little boy got four shots! Two in each of his little chubby thighs. I had tears in my eyes when he got them, it was so tough to watch! Luckily he didn't have any type of reaction to the shots. He goes back to the doctor again in July for his four month check up. Hopefully I will handle the shots a little better since Brian won't be there to be the strong one.

This past weekend Brian and I took Max to St. John's for a baby massage class. It was funny to see all these little babies getting massages. Max was the biggest boy there and he listened to the teacher very well. I just tried giving Max his first at home massage a few minutes ago and he loved it. He smiled and relaxed his little muscles. He looked so content. I will have to make this a common occurrence!