Baby Bookworms!

Today was Max's first experience at Baby Bookworms today! Fortunate enough for us, the program is right before my first class on Mondays but unfortunately during my classes on Thursdays. We may only make it on Mondays. Unless Bry feels comfortable taking him by himself. We got there kinda lateish and ended up going to the wrong room! Silly us. But once we got in, we saw dozens of babies! Max was in heaven! At first, he was aloof and shy, but once he saw all the kids walking and crawling around he got involved as well. We sang silly songs that made him wiggle and giggle, we rang bells, and then we had reading time. Max mostly enjoyed the socializing time, go figure. I'm quite surprised at how many people were amazed he was walking at 10 months... apparently that isn't something you see quite often. It made for a good time though and I think he was happy for the most part. Today's Bry's day off thank goodness and we are going to celebrate and spend time with Maxwell. I'll keep you posted on anything big.

I must be nuts

Okay I'm a firm believer now that parenthood solidifies how nuts you really are. More often than not, I find myself almost at tears for no apparent reason at all. Tonight my sweet bear climbed over to me and started laying his head on me. Sweetest thing ever right? Even sweeter is that he was in bed, asleep by 7:08 pm. I took him to the playground again today where our walk led us last Thursday. For about 15 minutes of the 20-30 we were there he was trying to climb up the slides, climb the stairs, whatever he can get at. I'd like to think that's what attributed to his early bedtime. Anyway back to my nutzo story. So we returned today around 3:10 pm from our Little Rock trip and I was unpacking and took the things that belonged in his room in. Curled up in a little ball at the tip-top of his crib was my little booboo, sleeptalking/sleepcooing and it literally brought tears to my eyes. I mean seriously? It's just a little ball of flesh that gurgles and poos and farts. Okay, well maybe we got connected in the 9 months+ that he was inside of me. Maybe there is a bit of connection there.

Anyway, so we were in Little Rock this weekend. Pretty successful weekend. Friday night met up with one of my high school friends at my favorite hot spot cheap Mexican food, etc whatever you want to call it, Senor Tequila. Now that made for good times catching up over margaritas. One of the few high school friends who have met my little booboo. Had JohnJohn over as usual and caught up... DUNDADUN! He got a job! Saw Davey as well. Saturday morning we woke up, took Mo over to Jeanine's house to meet her son, Spencer. It was interesting to see him interact with an older child for the first time. He doesn't really get much time. He attempted to emulate

some of the things Spencer did, which was pretty entertaining. I cannot believe that pretty soon I'm going to have a toddler yelling, "LET'S PLAY TAG!" every 6 seconds. Who needs exercise routines then? Saturday night had date night with my baby daddy at our usual hangout - Big Whiskey's. They never fail to satisfy me. Continued on the night to celebrate JohnJohn's

birthday.We started at Willy D's but went to this new bar on the side.. Priouse or something like that? Very neat. Hangout with couches and low-key with a band. Cannot wait to be down there more often. Anyway, I need to start focusing on this week's festivities and thought I'd update you with some info. Roll the reel.

MWAHAHHAHA

10 months

I'm horrible. I'll admit it. I cannot keep with this thing, no matter how much I promise to. So I'll keep ya posted when I keep you posted. Max is going to be 10 months on Monday. Really? It's been almost a year since I sported a protuding belly that made it almost impossible to get a decent sleep throughout the night, not to mention the inability to lay flat on my stomach to sleep? I can't believe it. And life just keeps getting better. Started back to school on 23 August 2010. 15 hours on campus, 10 hours online. 1 degree by May 2011 hopefully. Most people think I'm nuts. I'm completely balls to the wall driven. Max is in bed by around 7:30-8:30 every night and as soon as he rolls over and shuts those sparkling baby blues momma's at her "desk" (the bar island in my apartment) typing away, reading articles, or whatever tasks the giant calendar demands me to perform. On a rather ironic note, I've never felt so stress-free about a semester as I have this one. Knock on wood. Could be because it just started. Max is walking and talking more and more every day. His laugh echoes more and more throughout our GINORMOUS apartment that we moved into beginning of July 2010. It's noticeably bigger than our last if you haven't been to visit yet and has closets everywhere you turn. Which is UH-MAY-ZING! Momma tries to keep the place a bit cleaner than normal but now with the eruption of a new school year and daunting deadlines hanging above my head (literally, there's a calendar up by my head) things tend to get a bit messier than I would care for. Anyway, got off track of the real issue here: Maxwell. He has two teeth and a goofy grin that you can't help but smile at, it's that contagious. I can hardly believe it. My baby is almost a year old. I need ideas. Themes? For his first birthday. And let me know if you want to come obviously. May be a little informal, facebook invites. Not that we don't care and don't want you there, but my limited time with all these hours I currently have in progress. Anyway, I think that's pretty much up to date. I'll save you the long hours and terrible stories we have about teething because it's not pretty. Oh wait, embarrassing story time. Max now loves to take off his diapers. It's rather entertaining. He did it a week and a half ago or so for the first time while Bryan was away at his work fairly early in the morning. I was opposed. Just all of the sudden, "Oh, what do these velcro-esque closures do?" And off with the diaper and crawl away before Mama can catch him. Smart child. The other day, Bry comes in carrying a naked Maxwell. I believe I was blowdrying my hair. He finally had his chance to endure the experience that is Max taking off his diaper. I proceeded then to die over with laughter. I can't wait for you all to experience this. Or live vicariously through my stories. I don't mind. :) Anyway, the sun is shining out, it's AMAZING weather day. I'm gonna grab my boys and get out.

My first mother's day!

So I really need to learn to make a commitment to keeping up with this thing! Here's some updates from forever ago: Max is now sitting by himself and slowly is picking up the don't crawl in reverse. A little slow, but VERY determined.

Anyway, mother's day. I'm pretty sure it's just a day for you to realize where you were before your child or children came in your life and how dramatically it's been enhanced since they've been around.

I woke up to Maxwell smiling and cooing and my heart melted, and I thought, "THANK YOU FOR NOT WAKING UP CRYING!" :) Bry woke up a little after (go figure huh? unless I'm in school he's a sleeper for sure!) he came out and got out the presents that I saw on the counter. I was in the other room getting ready for brunch when he came in with this teal mothers day card with a picture in it. He had told me earlier in the week that he HAD to go to Wal-Mart that week to get his momma Jill some pictures of Max. I was skeptical and had asked him to show me the ones he had printed off for her. Conveniently, he didn't have them on him. My suspicions were correct when I saw my picture frame card. Inside he had written something that just opened up the floodgates..."I've come a long way from flutters in your belly." Wow, it's still making me tear up. If you're not aware Mother's Day 2009 was the first day that I felt my little Maxwell flutter around. I will NEVER forget that feeling. Like little butterfly wings tickling the inside of my tummy. Anyway, back to story. I came out and there was a gift baggie full of something. I pull out it's "guts" (the tissue paper) and start crying again. A few weeks prior I had gone to visit my gyno for yearly check-up and stuff. I was CERTAIN I had left my bracelet there and it was gone FOREVER! And I didn't want another one - I wanted the one I had back. Mom had talked of replacing it because it wasn't too terribly expensive to do so, but I was reluctant. She had come up that weekend to help out with little Maxwell and she takes apart the couch to make it more comfortable. When she did this time, she found my bracelet. After I went to bed, she was whispering to Bry how she'd found it. And then kept it from me!! Those two!! He explained how he'd told my sob story of losing my bracelet to the manager at Mason's and they replaced most of my charms and things, but Masons doesn't carry all of the charms. They're supposed to only give in-store credit for the jewelry but somehow he was able to talk them into exchanging it! Needless to say, he pretty much rocks :) He did, however, get Max's birthstone charm for it... and can I tell you how happy Max was that my charm bracelet was back? He likes playing with the dangling charms! Along with my refound bracelet, new charm, I still had a present in the oven. If you know me, I don't miss much and saw it before Bry got up. The bag he had bought was too small for this. I knew, too, what this was before opening up the oven. Drew will rest easier at night knowing that his electric wine opener is safe because I finally got my own! No more wrestling with foil or having to have jumbo muscles for pulling out corks... this little contraption is worth its weight in gold! And I can throw it in my purse for taking to friends houses! Last time I was over at Jenna's, she had this little cheapie one you buy when you realize you don't have a wine opener and I got on one side of the bottle and she got on the other and pulled until the cork finally came out... it was a show for sure. We can rest easier knowing our visits won't consist of wine bottle wrestling!

After all that, we loaded up and went to Mojitos for lunch. My FAV mojito ever is there: agave :) I need to learn to make them. They're VERY important to have once in a while. We also got a complimentary cheesecake for dinner :) Thanks for the help UrbanSpoon! I downloaded the app then started shaking, and it popped up and SOLD! We were on our merry way.

After lunch ran a few errands then ended up at Sams Club to purchase some things obviously in bulk and stock up. Mom and I made our way to the recliners because in my master plan Bry's old man chair is going to rest in peace soon. Anyway, I sat down in it, got disappointed the massage part was broken, and then got happy when I realized how comfy it really was. While we were getting Bry over there a lady walks down the aisle and starts flirting with Maxwell and we start up a conversation. Max and Bry are having their turn in the recliner and she asks, "Are you the uncle? The big brother?" We apparently look too young for a kiddo of our own. Not quite sure how I feel on that one though I know it should be a compliment.

Later on in the day went out to Noodles with bro, his gf, mom, Max and me. Now if you love Noodles already, you're about to love it even more. Sundays are their special wine buy days and you get 50% off house wine carafes or 25% off bottles. Mom and I split a carafe of some pinot grigio. She was gaga over it, but meh. Not my fave pinot grigio.

On a wine note. Was in store last week and found this little whimsical brand called Middle Sister. Kinda took me a second that next month I'm going to be a middle child, and a middle sister! An only sister, but still both of them will describe me perfectly. Well. I've got two bottles in my collection so far (already empty bottles, go figure) and they're just funny. The first kind I purchased was the Cabernet Sauvignon cleverly titled Mischief Maker and then the blend of reds titled Rebel Red. I'm not quite sure of the other titles, but I'm soon to find out as I make my collection more and more complete.

Anyway, on an end note: Hope everyone had as blessed of a day as I did. I realize more and more every day how blessed and full my life is as well as how lucky I am to have such amazing boys! They're the reason for the megawatt smile I'm sporting these days. Important accessory in everyday life.

Dear Maxwell,

I can't thank you enough for everything you do for me. You're teaching me a lot everyday. Especially your teevee shows. I learned about some butterfly today haha. Go Diego Go is very important. Now more serious, I absolutely LOVE being your mother. Some people say it's tough being in my position: going to school and having to take care of you. But you know what - I had you, got back in school when you were going on three months old, and pulled off a 4.0 that semester. I can do anything. You my little darling, give me the motivation to do so a lot of the time. Getting up in wee hours of day to get to school and be outta there by noon and have the rest of the day to play around with you. Life's never better. Might be frustrating at times, but that's life. I wouldn't change anything. You give me hope, strength, and make me a better person. Then pee, poop, eat, sleep rinse lather repeat :) You've been the greatest surprise EVER to happen in my life and I thank the man upstairs for you every night. I loved you way before you even arrived in this world and although I can't wrap my mind around how you can make me cry just by looking at you and realizing that you're my everything, I don't think I ever want to. One of life's greatest mysteries is one of the heart. You've captured mine. I realize nowadays why my mother di what she did, why she was so overprotective and I couldn't figure out why. I hope I have enough in me to let you run wild and explore, get messy and get booboos. But never forget that no matter how "mean" I may be, I'm trying to turn you into a marvelous man. That's my job. Good thing you already have one in your daddy so it won't be too hard to teach by example. We love you little guy. Thanks for the past six months and here's to infinity more :)

Love always,

Mommy

Almost 5 months, REALLY?

So guys, it's true. Max is approaching. Little guy is tuckered out after screaming all morning, bless his heart... tummyaches are the devil. We had a fantastico month thus far... since I last updated my little tiger has learned to wallow all over the floor flipping around front back, side side, frontfront backback side to side... you get the picture. He's also found his tongue, which is a hilarious sight to see! Randomly he'll just start poking it out and be like "Hey guys, what's up... my tongue... loook!" I wish I had a pic or a video to upload but I've been neglecting that kindof too :( But oh what a joy he's becoming. So far he's been exposed to rice cereal, sweet peas, bananas, and sweet potatoes. I'm pretty sure after last night I'm going to stick with Gerber organics. I got some really cheap brand because they had the most variety and I'm trying to get him to try as many things as he can right now. I won't deviate again. So far he absolutely ADORES sweet potatoes... good thing, because Daddy won't eat them with me so I hardly ever make them. Now I'll have a reason to :) Okay, so let me know any moms out there if you read this: Did DST mess with your child's sleep patterns? We used to have little Maxwell sleeping from 10-11 until 6. Now he won't sleep like that anymore since the change. It's quite tiring, literally. And I have been racking my brains trying to figure out how to get him back on that schedule. I liked it a whole lot :)
On another note, Momma might be graduating by the end of this year if I can figure everything out (YAAAAAAY from the audience)!!!! I just have to figure out if I want to stay in Marketing or if I want to continue on with law school... such a tough decision. I'm really enjoying learning the ins and outs of marketing. I've got two AWESOME professors right now who make it real enjoyable to go to class and really stimulate thinking... I'll be with them til the very end of my undergraduate studies, I'm afraid for their sake! Anyone out there have any insight on law school vs. Marketing grad school? I guess it's always out there if I want to go and try it. Law school that is. I'm really leaning towards Marketing grad school. Well in the end I want to be able to give my boys all that I can while simultaneously enjoying what I do and I have a hankering I'll enjoy either.
Anyway, gotta end this soon. It's slowly approaching 9 am, wake time for Max and we're heading to my dad's for some family time before little brother comes in June and to get out for Spring Break since we're poor parents and have to work hard for da money.

Let me go off on a tangent here too:
I am very very very blessed. I know I keep saying it time and time again. But I keep seeing a lot of unstable relationships with people having kids and then it not being the optimal outcome. Bry and I were able to overcome alot, grow closer, and Max will never have to worry about splitting time between Momma and Poppa as long as we have any say in it. We decided a while ago we're a team, it's up to us to figure things out and I'm so thankful he has the same views I do. I don't know what I would do sometimes without him. He's more than I ever imagined from the day I met him :) Most of all, he's an AMAZING dad... and that's the utmost importance to me right now. Gotta have the best for my tiny tiger!

Dear Maximo,

I have a feeling very shortly here you're not going to be the happiest of campers when I wake you up. I still love you a whole whole bunch. Even though I have baggies under my eyes unable to camouflage (dangit Em, I still can't spell that word right the first time) the lack of sleep I get. I love spending time with you and you're learning slowly if not surely that Team Mommy is where it's at :) Actually I think Daddy said it's a phase where you only want your mommy that you're approaching and when I'm gona you're gonna scream your little lungs out. Don't worry dabooboo, I would never leave you in harms way or do anything that would compromise your well-being. That's above and beyond you right now though :) Let's go and have a good time little in Branson today my little rascal, and show Grandpa all the new tricks you've learned. Of course we're gonna have to call Daddy every chance we get. This time, no superexplosion when we go eat lunch, please & thank you :)

Love you little munchkin,
Mommy

Spring cleaning

So within the past week my ex has had his son and today I began putting away old newborn clothes of Max's to stash for my little brother. I got to a certain outfit - it was a Life's Good outfit with a tiger on it and remembered the exact day Max wore it - the day he came home from the hospital... and it brought back a TON of memories... how exhausted I was, although I wouldn't succumb, the extra lbs I cried about because I thought I'd NEVER get back in shape, but most of all, the time I spent staring at my son and realizing how truly blessed I was to have a new life. Slowly my exhaustion became overwhelming and I got frustrated VERY easily. There were nights when I threw pillows, binkies, bottles, everything. And now I've seen how far I've come. Those days still happen, but very rarely. He can sit and cry in my ear and now as opposed to then, I can handle it. I've come a long way, there are moments I wouldn't trade. But if I could, for just a minute, step back in time to relive his birth day I would. Now with him able to chew on his legs, lay in his crib, and keep himself entertained, it's still very bittersweet but a proud moment for what I've made, how independent he's become, and how he's reaching his milestones like no other.
Just make sure you always need your mommy little Max.

1 year ago...

So little Max is growing by leaps and bounds... I need to get better about posting in this thing. Last Thursday he laughed out loud for the first time! And he's about to get started on purees! He's stopped tongue-thrusting and stares at my food like he wants some, so we're just waiting for him to hold his head up completely well... he's got it for the most part, but still gets tired and WHAM! his head goes back in my face and I get bruises... now you know why I've got them all over... can't catch a break between him and Bry! Haha, not really.

So (drumroll) BRY AND I FINALLY HAD OUR FIRST DATE ALONE LAST NIGHT!!! It was crazy finally realizing it's been almost 4 months since that's happened! We went to Theo's American Kitchen for Valentine's Day dinner and it was the BEST choice, in my totally biased opinion :) We had an amazing dinner, got a few drinks, and got to relax under some dim lights and talk about things and really enjoy each other! DEFINITELY important. We've come a long, long way... time to reminisce about a year ago.

If you don't know, Feb 15 2009 I found out that I was pregnant with my gorgeous little Maxwell. It wasn't always butterflies and rainbows. Bry and I were going through a TOUGH time. I was on my third pregnancy test this night (over a span of a couple weeks), and was ready to say arrivederci if it read, "Not Pregnant." I went to the bathroom, performed the test, and then got frustrated because it felt like it was taking forEVER! Came back in after I put it in the cabinet underneath the sink, looked at it, and the blood drained from my body. I turned ghost white, went back out to the couch where Bry was sitting, where he immediately knew something was wrong. I had to lead him into the bathroom and show him, I was speechless. We had a lot of setbacks through the next month, took a breather from each other, and grew a little bit. He finally realized that I wasn't a horrible person and trying to completely "ruin his life" or that I was endangering my child's life by drinking while I knew I was pregnant as some people thought otherwise. Now I sit here, a year later, completely in love with two boys and could never picture myself anywhere else. I'm completely lucky to have an amazing son who can make me go from me being frustrated to completely turning to mush in about 2 seconds. And along with that, more importantly, a boyfriend who is an AMAZING father, my best friend, and is gonna be there right beside me through thick and thin. I am so overwhelmingly blessed in so many ways. They're the blessings I thank God for once, twice, maybe even three times in a night. I've never been happier in my life.

Dear Maxwell,

You'll never know the greatest scare you gave me a year ago... I was 19 years old and completely floored about what was going to happen in my life - school, a baby on the way, how was I going to do it all? Good thing I put a word in with the man upstairs, because it hasn't been too terribly overwhelming for the most part. Thank you little one. You'll never know how much you saved me, saved my life, and then completely changed my world. Right now you're sleeping in your swing with the sweetest expression on your face. Please promise me you won't grow up too fast, and that you're always gonna need me. Hearing songs about kids growing up before I know it just makes me want to put you on super-slow mode. But sadly, you can't be controlled by a remote control. You're almost double the size you were when you were born! I love you baby boy. You make my life so much worthwhile. Although you weren't planned, the second I knew I had you growing inside of me, I knew God had a plan. You've helped me grow so much in the last year by leaps and bounds. I'm not the same person I used to be. I can't wait for the next month when you're laughing more and I'm loving you more and more each day.

Love you forever sweetheart,
Mommy