51 Weeks

For the past couple of weeks, Maximus has not been sleeping very well at night. He was doing so well there for a while, but we think it may have to do with him teething again. He's working on another couple teeth which will make 8 once they arrive.

Remember how I was telling you about his obsession with paper and how he has been trying to put paper in the shredder? Well, he is now doing this with one of his toys. It's really funny. He rips off a portion of a magazine and pushes the paper in a hole that is designed to push a block in, which in turn shoots the block out on the back end of the toy. When he does this with paper, he MUST think that he is shredding it. haha...

Maximus has always been fascinated with lights. This last week he started pointing to lampshades, overhead lights, chandeliers, and anything of the sort. He is getting good at saying "light" when asked what it is.

If I say, "Yay, Maximus," he has been clapping for himself. It's pretty cute. At least at this age. :)

Besides the dishwasher, he is fascinated by every appliance and electronic device - you name it...the dryer, refrigerator, microwave, computers, tv...he is ALL boy when it comes to this stuff.

A week from tomorrow, Maximus will turn 1! So, this Saturday we are going to be celebrating his 1st Birthday with our families. Hard to believe how fast it went.  

Hope you have a good week!

Happy day!

hi-d

50 Weeks

Maximus' favorite things lately could be summed up in three words...

ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS 

Okay, forget the scissors part...

Since a tiny baby, he has always LOVED movement. Music is a BIG part of our lives. We usually have something playing in the background. I love dancing with him and Rob (the drummer) likes to jam out with him. It's so cute to see Maximus' legs and arms moving. When he's sitting on the floor he'll rock back and forth or bounce up and down, oftentimes in beat with the music. He'll sing along, adding his own spin of lyrics such as: la-la-la-la or bop-bop-bop-bop, duh-duh-duh-duh and an occasional gleeful "SCREAM." In church he really gets going as well.

When one of us is rocking him in the chair, he'll sit on our lap and rock along. And when he's in his swing, he's also helping that along by moving his body side to side or back and forth. He gets the swing going so fast that we have to turn it way down.

When it comes to paper, this guy is OBSESSED with it. It can be any form of paper - boxes, mail, books, magazines...the list goes on. I've started to give in more and let him have at it, with magazines. He loves ripping them, crumpling them up and waving them in the air. A really funny thing that he’s been doing is taking a scrap of paper and crawling over to our paper shredder. I realized the other day what he was doing. He's seen us use the shredder, so he is trying to put paper in there himself. It’s really cute to watch this, but we’ve had to turn the shredder off to protect those little fingers of his. It really makes you think - these little ones are watching and trying to mimic every move we make!

I hope all of you had a good weekend.

Happy day!

hi-d



A Drive in the Snow

I am excited to be participating in the "Snow in July" Link Party hosted by Marcia over at "The Shop Around the Corner." If you're new to my blog - WELCOME...leave me a comment and I'll be sure to come visit you. Thanks to Marcia, for including me in her white themed party!

This is a post that I did earlier this year with Maximus & Kooky. And I thought it would be fun to share. I hope you enjoy.

"Hey Maximus, what's that white stuff on the ground?"

"It's called SNOW, Kooky. Would you like to go outside and check it out?"

"Wait a minute though, Kooky. There's one problem. You can't go out in the cold without a hat."

"Not to mention your feet! You'll freeze to death without any shoes."

"Oh, bummer Maximus. I really wanted to go out in the snow. "

"Don't worry, Kooky. I've got you covered."

"Maximus...you are making me very nervous! You're not going to sneak in one of your wrestling moves, are you?"

"I promise you, Kooky...No wrestling moves today. You have nothing to fear."

"Just RELAX! You're SO tense!"

"Thanks, Maximus. I kind of like this hat."

"I'm ready! Let's go outside!"

"Maximus...What are you doing. I'm READY. Let's GO!"

"Hang on a second. I'm looking for the car keys, Kooky."

"Oh NO!!! Maximus, you're not driving, are you? I'm having flashbacks from our last car ride."

Happy day!

hi-d

49 Weeks

It's hard to believe our baby is going to be a year old in a few weeks. Where has time gone?

One of Maximus' favorite places in the house is the kitchen. We have a nice open space where he likes to play. When we're in there, he likes to come up to us and grabs hold of our legs, typically bringing himself to a standing position. He kind of tugs and pulls and hangs out there for a while. Of course it makes it a little difficult to get things done when he's doing this, but it's the sweetest thing, feeling that little guy beneath us.

The appliances are a major attraction to him. His favorite, is the dishwasher. As soon as he hears us putting dishes in there or sees us opening the door to it, he comes crawling or scooting across the floor with GREAT enthusiasm. Recently he has been grabbing the knob and actually turning it on. Now, if we could only get him to load the dishes and add the soap, we'd be in business. haha...

Rob has been showing Maximus how to climb the stairs and he's really got the hang of it now. It's fun to watch, because his short little legs have to do quite a bit of stretching to pull himself up each step; however, he has a good deal of strength & determination.

Another milestone was seeing him stand for about 10 seconds on his own today, without hanging onto something for support. Yay!

Such fun times. He definitely keeps us on our toes...

I hope you have a lovely week.

Happy day!

hi-d

Be STILL

I was poking around on the internet Friday and came across this beautiful song and video. Don't let the title of "lullabies" steer you away, if you are reading this. It is appeals to any age. I CANNOT stop playing this!

How perfectly it is speaking to me right now - so peaceful! It put Maximus to sleep in his swing. And he has the sweetest look on his face right now.

"Be Still and Know" from Scripture Lullabies from Scripture Lullabies on Vimeo.
 

So, what did you think? Amazing, huh? I just HAD to share this with all of you. I HAVE got to own this! If you want to check it out, here's the link. Also, facebook has an offer where you can get 20% off Volume 1. Here's the link to that special offer. Just follow the instructions.

And just so you know, I was not paid to endorse this product or site. I just thought it was so beautiful and couldn't help but share.


Be Blessed!

hi-d

Dad - Happy Birthday!

Today my Dad turns 78 years old - Hard to believe. I feel SO blessed, because I couldn't ask for a better Father. I love you, Dad!

Maximus has a few words to say as well...

We love you!

hi-d, Rob & Maximus

The View From Here

One of the things that I enjoy most about our new place is the view.
I happened to catch a glimpse of yesterday's sunrise.
That's Mt. Hood in the distance.

Here you can see it a little better. Anyone willing to go cut some trees with me, in order to REALLY see its full glory? ha!

 It bursts forth like a radiant bridegroom after his wedding.
It rejoices like a great athlete eager to run the race.
The sun rises at one end of the heavens
and follows its course to the other end.
Nothing can hide from its heat.
The instructions of the LORD are perfect,
reviving the soul.
The decrees of the LORD are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.

Psalm 19:5-7 (NLT)

Happy day!

hi-d

My BFF is Having a Birthday TODAY!

Today is my best friend's birthday! Happy Birthday, Shirley. I wish we didn't live thousands of miles apart. It would be so much fun to celebrate together. I hope you have a wonderful day & lots of fun!

 Maximus wanted to say something too.

Love from all of us!

hi-d,Rob & M

48 Weeks

One of my favorite things to do with Maximus is to make funny faces. The dumber and goofier I look, the more he laughs. And when I'm out shopping with him and do this, it REALLY gets him on a giggle kick!

Rob has been repeating words, sounds, making clicking noises, and sticking out his tongue to Maximus since I can remember. M really studies what his Papa is doing and later down the road he starts mimicking those things. It's fascinating to me to see this learning process.

Maximus is very observant and wants to know what's going on around him. He has to take in EVERYTHING. When he walks into a room, he is interested in the details. There could be a tiny speck of lint on the floor and he'll notice it.

When I rock Maximus before bedtime, he likes to lie on top of a pillow, on his tummy, on my lap. Other times he'll sit forward and I'll hold him, by supporting him under his arms. He enjoys rocking this way. However, If I pull him close to me, he'll resist. But when he's really tired, he'll lean back on me. And, man, OH man...when that little face of his touches mine, I feel perfectly content!!!

I could go on and on about so many things that Maximus does, his likes and dislikes, etc., etc., but I'll stop for now. haha...If it weren't for me tracking these things on this blog, I would miss out on a lot of stuff that he's doing. So, thanks for allowing me to share these tidbits with you. Now, I just need to transfer more of this info to his baby book. I'm behind...

I hope your week is off to a good start.

 Happy day!

hi-d

Dust

View of Mt. Hood - Shot taken years ago on an airplane



The LORD is slow to anger but great in power;
the LORD will not leave the guilty unpunished.
His way is in the whirlwind and the storm,
and clouds are the dust of his feet.
Nahum 1:3 (NIV)


I read this yesterday and thought it was so cool - to think that the clouds are the dust of God's feet! I will never look at clouds the same again.


Happy day!
hi-d

47 Weeks

For the past few weeks Maximus has been sleeping MUCH better at night. I only have to get up once or twice a night.

He enjoys trying different foods, especially things that  Rob and I eat. Maximus gets a lot of satisfaction from feeding himself. Okay, he's not feeding himself with a spoon yet, but just bits and pieces off his high chair tray. He really likes pasta, chicken, meatballs, gold fish, greek yogurt and even nibbles of pizza. He still eats oatmeal, fruit, veggies, cheese, cereal and avacodos. The other thing he really digs, is water! He drinks that from his sippy cup throughout the day.

At Christmas time, Grandma LaLa fed him a cracker with cream cheese & olive tapenade. And he went nuts over it! He was in heaven! haha...I was dying to see if he'd like lemons. I know that sounds crazy, but I love lemons, and especially craved them when I was pregnant with him. The other day I gave him some lemon and he LOVED it too! Just to be sure I tried it again another day and I got the same reaction. Don't worry, it's not something I will be feeding him on a regular basis. I know the acid can be bad on the enamel of one's teeth. (smile)

When we feed him, oftentimes he have a spoon, bowl or his sippy cup that he holds. It's a good distraction. And sometimes he plays the game of dropping those things onto the floor. He is funny to watch, because he anticipates the crash on the floor, blinking his eyes just before it even hits. I like to get his reaction by catching the object before it drops to the ground. There is no crash, so no noise...but he STILL blinks. And then usually smiles. HA!

I hope your New Year is off to a good start!

Happy day!

hi-d