Wednesday, June 28, 2006

Future Bball Player?

It's between Bargnani and Gay all the way!Since Max was born after the regular NBA season ended, he did not have to endure the torture of yet another underwhelming season of Raptors basketball. We are hoping that he will bear witness to a new, improved, era of basketball under the realm of Brian Colangelo. In celebration of the Rap's #1 pic, Max has gotten into Raptor gear and is sure to be an exciting night of liveblogging in the RaptorBlog household.

If you are wondering about Max's stats, he is weighing in at a whopping 13 pounds at only 2 months (75th percentile) and measuring at 24.25 inches in height (95th percentile!). His wingspan needs some work as it is only 23 inches, but babies have short arms, so he has some time. At his 2 month checkup his doctor asked me if I was giving him any formula (inferring that his 4 pound weight gain and 3 inches in growth in the past month might be from overeating). I told him "Nope, he is 100% breastfed". Apparently my milk is powerful like rocket fuel.
I hate these f-ing sunglasses Mom!So, if you haven't already seen this baby, as our friend Lulu (of the famed "Lulu and Chris" says, you best "invite yourself over ASAP". He is growing by the minute!

Friday, June 23, 2006

Maxwell Hunter: 2 months old.

My dearest baby Max, you are 2 months old today. My gawd, where has the time gone? I told your dad that I am the happiest that I have been in my life right now, being your mommy. I have the best job in the world getting to take care of you. That brought tears to his eyes because it so important to him that he is doing a good job taking care of us (and he is). Your dad's first Father's DayYou have an "official" nickname (selected by the good readers of Fickle Feline). You will now be known as "Lumpkin". We are working on a t-shirt for you to commemorate this. Just so you know, your Grandma gave you that name. We will still sometimes refer to you by your other names (how can we not call you "Porkchop" with the baby chubs you are developing?).

Look at those chubs!You have your 2 month checkup doctor's appointment Monday and I am pretty sure you will be tipping the scales at least 13 pounds. I'm not sure how long you are, but I'm guessing 24 inches. I do believe this will place you in the 90+ percentile, so you are one big boy. We won't get too fixated on the numbers though, bottom line is you are too cute for words and we can't stop kissing you!

After several poo-valanches this week, we moved you into size 2 diapers. You see, your mom doesn't like cleaning up poop off the couch, and washing the babysling every time you do your business. Also charming is you prefer to poop in a dry diaper, so you like to wait until I have just changed your diaper before you let loose. You also seem to think this is pretty funny so you make it all okay by giving me your best smile as we head back to your room to clean you up.

You really like being naked (I think this is a boy thing). I usually let you get some fresh air on your bum when I am changing you, and you also like to be laid out on a towel for some bare bum time and belly rubs as well. You don't like tummy time at all, so we have tried it sans clothes which seems to work better. Except you like to pee, so it means a lot of towels in the laundry.

We secretly call this Pervert Bear...I think your dad's favourite part of your development is that you are smiling so much now, and you have found your voice. You coo and grunt and earlier this week you laughed in your sleep. I can't wait until you laugh when you are awake! Though you have a lot of toys, there is really only one you are interested in so far and that is your baseball bear which vibrates when you pull the baseball away from it. We think this bear is a little...ummm...well, it's a little weird. But you like to stare intently at his face, so that's cool.
Monster Max!I have been telling people that you are growing like a weed, and I'm not kidding. You have been in your 3-6 month clothes for weeks now (I think you are just eager to get into your designer threads). I swear you have way nicer clothes than your dad and me...Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger...I don't have any of those labels hanging in my closet! Your dad and I think you have huge hands and feet...maybe this means you are going to be tall like your dad. I hope so, because being 5'4 has its limitations and I like having tall people around to reach things for me. Your legs and arms are super strong and you are already practicing your soccer and boxing moves. We have to be careful because you like to swipe at our faces to grab our glasses. You also like to suck on your hands (and my hands). We tried to give you a pacifier (2 different kinds) but you have shown no interest. So instead you drool all over me, which I don't mind, I mean, what's a little baby drool when I am covered in breast milk, baby poop/pee, and spitup already? No biggy, that's for sure.

Beautiful sleeping boyWhat else is there to say? Your favourite song is "When I'm 64". I only know the words to the first verse and I can't remember how the chorus goes (I'll work on that). We will continue to work our way through the Beatles' song book in the coming months. You still get the hiccups, but not 3 times a day like you used to. You really like to eat (as we can all see from your baby chubs) and you are not very patient with your dear old mom when you get hungry. You get really cranky and make this "amuh amuh amuh" sound which makes your dad and me laugh. Then you put your little barracuda mouth on my boob as punishment for making you wait. You also cried your first real tear this past month, which I kissed away, and my heart broke a little. You will learn that I am a total softy, and I am going to have to toughen up or you will get whatever you want out of me.

Mom, why you takin' so long to do your hair?We have worked out a nice routine so that Mom gets to shower every day. I feed you, then take a shower while you sit in your car seat (very patiently I might add). Then I sit you on the toilet while I get dressed and put my makeup on. I don't know what I'm going to do once you are mobile, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it!

It seems like a lot of people have a lot of advice for us on how to raise you. One thing that is very controversial is that we have you sleep with us right now. It just works out better because you wake up a couple of times a night to eat so this way we all get some sleep. I have been told that "we will never get you out of our bed" but I don't think that is true. Plus, I love waking up and seeing you next to me and watching you sleep. You look so sweet and happy, secure and content, how could I leave you alone in another room? I think you are still too little, and I'm not ready.Cheeks for weeks!There have been many offers of babysitting (everyone wants to be with you!) but I am just not ready to be away from you, not even for a minute. So, until I am ready, everyone will just have to wait. It is actually physically painful for me to not be with you. All I can do is think about you, then my boobs leak, and I just end up getting all stressed out. This may seem weird to people, but it is just how it is. I am sure that I will eventually be ready, but not just yet.Look at that smile!You are starting to make the "amuh amuh amuh" sound so I better wrap this up and give you the boob. Little Lumpkin, you are so wonderful. Your dad and I have so much love for you, and we can't wait to see what this next month brings.

Love,
Mom

1 month

Saturday, June 17, 2006

Nicknames: You decide.

Max and his dad, pre-walk.We have a tonne of nicknames for Max. And by a tonne, I mean...like...12. We're not sure which one we like best, so we thought we'd put it out to the internet for a vote. So here they are in no particular order:

Porkchop
Maxy Paxy
Maxy Poopoo
Lil' Barracuda
Button
Kitten
Jubjub
Little dude/Little man
Lumpkin
Awesome Possum
Gruntbuggly
Baby Poogie
edited to add: Sweet Baboo

I usually switch up the nickname based on his current mood or what he is up to. I won't tell you which one is my favourite until we count the votes. Okay...go!All that walking wore the little boy out!

Thursday, June 15, 2006

Sleeping 101: Baby steps.

A Rrested Mommy is a happy Mommy!I'm happy to report that we have made some progress in the sleeping department. For the past four nights, we have put Max in his crib when he first falls asleep. That alone is huge. It means that Mommy and Daddy can have some "alone" time in our room. It's been a while since we had any "alone" time, if you know what I mean and I think you do. Max typically wakes up after and hour or two. I then bring him into our room and feed him and (hopefully I'm not jinxing us) he goes back to sleep. He still wakes up to eat every 2 or 3 hours, but there haven't been any all night parties this week (at least none that I have been invited to).Dad practices his baby whisperer moves on Max
Max and his Uncle DavidI forgot to mention that Max went to his first barbeque last weekend and he met his uncle David for the first time. Definitely a big weekend! I think that Max is just what the ladies in our social circle have been wishing for. A little boy (born on his dad's birthday no less) to get their men on the "family planning" bandwagon. I have been half-joking with the guys that Max needs some buddies so they better get moving. It will be interesting to see who gets knocked up first...guess we'll just have to wait and see on that.Max working his magic on Korrie

Monday, June 12, 2006

Sleeping 101: Still working on it.

Well. Sleeping between the time when the sun sets and rises still poses us some challenges. It truly is hit or miss with this little guy. I have no idea why some nights we manage to go to bed at 11pm and others we end up staying up until 6am. I guess it is just what life is like for a 7 week old baby (that's right - 7 weeks old!).

When Max does sleep, it is typically when the sun is shining. It can be kind of frustrating because I want him to sleep at night, so umm...so I can sleep at night, with the rest of the world! Ah well. This will work itself out eventually, right? Until then, please be patient.

Saturday, June 03, 2006

Playdates and Pedicures.

Milk Drunk MaxWe hit a few milestones this week, two of the big ones being Max's first social smile and the commencement of grunts and cooing that sound a bit like conversation starters (by Scott's standards anyway). In addition to the smiles and grunts, Max also had his first playdate with his girlfriends Maya (6 months) and Soleil (9 months). He definitely needs a few pointers from his dad as he pretty much slept through the whole afternoon. It was actually a miracle that we even made it over to Jen's (Maya's mom) as Max has started his new "schedule" which is sleep just fine for two nights in a row (meaning get up once), then party until the wee hours on the 3rd night. I was very tired/worn out from this, but I decided I was in dire need of some company and adult interaction, so after managing to get us both washed, clothed and fed, we headed out. As you can see from the pics, a good time was had by all. The nice thing about going over to someone's house when they have a baby, and there are no men around, is that I can breastfeed without having to find a private location, and I don't have to feel self-conscious if Max decides to be fussy, or needs a diaper change - it's all good, they understand.
Max, Maya and Soleil (babypalooza)
Last night was "the 3rd night" so of course Max partied until 6am. Nice. Scott stayed up with us (good call) and we made an event out of it. I think Max is having an extended 6 week growth spurt as his sole desire from 10am - 4am was to breastfeed. He done near wore the equipment out. I was pretty much at my wit's end by 4am (and my boobs were empty) so I defrosted a bottle of breastmilk that I had pumped and gave that to him in a bottle. Little dude sucked that back like nothing doing...and was ready for more! I fed him again at 5:30am and he finally decided to throw in the towel and go to sleep. Scott and I followed shortly. It's funny that a 10 pound baby can give two adults a run for their money. I mean, it's funny now that I have had some sleep. Not so funny at 5am. Not funny at all.

I had been looking forward to getting a pedicure all week, so despite being pretty worn out today, I fed the boy, got dressed and hightailed it over to the salon to get my toes looked after. It was the first thing (outside of going to the doctor to get my sore boobs looked at) that I have done for myself since Max was born, and it felt good. Mind you, all we talked about was him, and I was relieved when I got in the car to drive home after an hour. As I turned my key in the lock, I was a bit apprehensive about what I was walking into (would he be screaming from hunger? would Scott be okay?). The boys were sitting on the couch, Max gazing intently at his dad and Scott raving about Max smiling at him. Phew. I can't tell you how relieved I was that everything went okay. So, while a pedicure might not be a milestone listed in the baby books, it was a big milestone for me. Here's to pretty toes!