Bubba's growing up. . . . I guess they do that. . . .

So I realize that I have dropped the proverbial ball on my blog entries over the last month. But in my defense, how much developement does an infant actually DO within a span of 5 weeks?

Oh, right.

I may as well just dive right into updates and happenings. Without referring to my last entry (I'm like an uppity actress - I never look at my previous work), I believe I left off right before Thanksgiving. It was delicious all around and we had a wonderful time with our families! I noticed during dinner, however, that Max was acting fussy and just plain "off". He had a case of the crankies, wasn't sleeping well, and was knawing on his hands like the last supper. My first thought: my God, the kid's teething! A few days later, when his symptoms had not yet subsided, I took him to the pediatrician to get the once and for all that Max was working on his very first chomper, but alas, she told me he was probably just battling a bug because she didn't feel any imminent teeth.

But lo and behold, a week later.....

Not actual tooth

His front bottom tooth popped through! If I wasn't dizzy over this kid's cuteness before, I'm pretty much passed out on the floorboards by this point.


Anywhoo, since Thanksgiving, Max has had all sorts of fun little outings. Recently, Max's grandparents took he and I, along with Uncle Andy, to see Winnie The Pooh at the Valley Youth Theatre in Phoenix.  We sat in the front row so Max could take in all the Poohy goodness. I was curious to observe if Max would be engaged during the play, seeing as though he was less than 4.5 months old at the time. But within 3 minutes of it starting, he was transfixed, his eyes like saucers, mouth agape as though he had never seen anything like it his entire life.Wait a minute...

As if all this weren't exciting enough, Max celebrates his very first Hanukkah and Christmas this year! As is tradition, Josh and I will be hosting Christmas Eve dinner/games/gifts/drinks this year, although it won't be quite the same, as my brother is not able to make it due to a professional obligation. We'll miss you bro-ski. Max has already gotten his first Hanukkah goodies from family (Thanks Grandpa Keith, Grandma Janet, Aunt Susie and Uncle Mike!), and will have his first Christmas morning stocking experience on Sunday. Prediction: ignores toy, attempts to eat stocking.

                                                  

                                  

A Hairy Situation

As if the diaper changes, drool-catching, booger snatching, and valiant efforts to still conceal the dark circles under my eyes weren't enough to solidify my existence in mommy history, check it:

My hair is falling out.

Yes, the inevitable has finally happened. My sub-par genetics in the tresses department and raising a 3.5 month old have joined forces, resulting in strands being left around the house and pretty much everywhere I go. It's like a stringy trail evidencing my whereabouts throughout the day. "Heidi Hairs", as Josh calls them, have been showing up in the strangest places. The other day, when I was changing the little guy, I pulled one out from his diaper. I grabbed the end with my fingertips, aghast, and started pulling it out from under his bum, slowly, slowly.......slowly....holy shit. He just gazed up at me looking utterly amused, as though he'd been knowingly hiding it in there and was just waiting for me to find it like the afikomen.

Other weird places my mane has shown up:

-Max's crib
-the glider in the nursery
-on the decorative mini Christmas tree centered on the kitchen table. Eew.
-in between Max's clenched fingers (yes, we've officially entered the "Ponytails Only" zone).
-in the car door


In other, non-follicle-related news, we are  gearing up for the holiday season! Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and we are looking forward to spending the day with our families, all together at Josh's mom and stepdad's home. I've always felt lucky and blessed that our two families have come together so cohesively over the years and can celebrate special occassions together, not out of obligation, but rather because we all simply like each other. Technically, this will not be Max's first Thanksgiving. You see, it was last year's Thanksgiving that Josh and I discovered we were pregnant with the booger. Although we didn't tell anyone at the time as it was so early on in the pregnancy, Max was there with us all as we ate turkey and stuffing, laughed in the kitchen, and played board games. What a landmark to look back on.

Wow. Hair AND turkey. Bet you didn't see that coming. Bon appetite!

I always knew our little rockstar would be in a band!

Just an update on our sweet Max. He is smiling as I write this!

We went to Cranial Technologies today to get an evaluation on Max's head shape and asymmetry, due to his torticollis and subsequent plagio/brachycephaly. Say that five times fast. No, really, go ahead. I'll wait. It's a mouthful, so allow me to translate into terms that I myself would have much better understood about two months ago:

Because Max's left neck muscles are slightly tighter and shorter than his right, he has a tendency to tilt his head to the left and favor looking to the right. As he continued to lay on the same spot of the back of his head while lying down, day after day, week after week, his head is misshapen in the back. Fortunately, these conditions do not affect brain growth or function whatsoever. We go to physical therapy twice a week to address the muscle tightness, however, the head shape is best corrected by a temporary orthopedic helmet called a DOC Band. For about 6 to 9 weeks duration, Max will sport this band 23 hours out of the day, so that as his head grows, it fills in the correct areas to become nice and round. He should be out of the band by late February or early March, and Mommy's gonna save ALLLLL the pictures to show his little girlfriends when he gets all machismo and teenager-y.

The evaluation was quite simple and seemless. I was asked to strip down Max to just his diapie, and we were ushered into a room with a table draped with a white cloth, a pillow, and equiptment fit for a magazine cover shoot: bright lights, that umbrella looking thing, you name it. As I propped up Max on the pillow for the photo sesh, he started to smile, giggle and wave about. "Ooh! Take the pictures now! Oh did you get that one? He's beaming! Ok now shoot, he's drooling out the side of his mouth! Did you see that, he's kind of making a thumbs up sign... take it!"

"Ma'am, we're here to get pictures of his flat head."

Right. Carry on.

So there you have it. Max should have his helmet in about a month. As my brother (Max's Uncle Andy) put it best, "He'll be all the more ready for those batting cages!"

Batter up!

How do you make a costume dance? Put a little booger in it!

Hello, readers! Lots to write about and I gotta move fast, as Mr. Max is taking a nap and it is only a matter of time before I see him squish and squirm around on his monitor, subtly implying, "I'M SO OVER THIS." So I will try to get in as much as I can, starting with an important announcement: Max slept from 8:15pm - 8:15am this morning!!! (happy dance). His sleeping has gotten so much better ever since he has started taking naps in his crib (we also changed swaddle blankets to one that practically mummifies him, but that's an aside). As far as a daily schedule goes, well, we're working on it. Mommy's first mistake: looking on the internet for the normalcy of infant schedules. Below is an example of what one may find when Googling others' opinions on parenting a 3 month old.

Exhibit A:
- my DS ("Darling Son", for those unfortunate few who aren't hip to the world of online mommy forums, tsk tsk) had a schedule down to the minute by 6 weeks old, as follows:
8:08 am - wakes up
8:30 am - first feeding
8:36 am - burps followed by a smile
9:08 - 12:24 play
12:24pm- helps Mommy in with groceries
12:53pm - nap
1:07pm-  play, feed
1:29pm - smiles and coos, diaper change
1:34pm - more play, sign language and foreign affairs

.... you get the picture. Oh, this baby also slept 12 hours a night straight before he even left the hospital.

Awesome.

Repetitive Googling (RG) is a chronic condition in which new mothers seek specific, biased information from the internet, which typically backfires causing otherwise avoidable stress and anxiety which can only be comforted by a slice of something chocolate. If you have at least three tabs open on your browser lasting 4 hours or more, consult a physician.

I could sit here and type out, one thousand times, to NOT look on the internet for any answers about your little booger's habits. I oblige you. However, I believe that learning this lesson on your own is imperative; as a new mother, we ourselves have to put our hands on the hot stove of the world wide web until we reach the point in which we can truly recognize its worth (or lack thereof). Because the truth of it is, you can confirm or negate ANYTHING you want via the internet. According to what I have researched, (insert parenting practice here) is ideal/encouraged/indifferent/frowned upon/avoided/an abomination. So I have made a vow to scrap the internet altogether, when my natural motherly instincts are begging for a vote of confidence: "Put me in, coach! I know what I'm doing!"

Onward. Last Monday was quite a special day for Max - his first Halloween! He did great in his chicken costume, as did his Daddy:





I took Max to his Musicology class that day, where all the little munchkins wore their Halloween costumes (oddly enough, not one went as an actual munchkin). If there is one thing on this planet that is cuter than kittens in snowshoes, it's babies in costume. Exhibit B:




Told ya.



Farmer and her chickens

After class, we went home so Max could take nap and psych himself up for his first night of Trick Or Treating! We dressed him up again and went to our friends Nick and Stacey's house to meet up with them, our friends Chad, Ashley, and Jaclyn, and their adorable children. We all ventured out into the neighborhood for some candy hoarding fun. Though Max slept in Daddy's arms the entire night, he will always have pictures to look back on to document his first Halloween ever.

Later that evening, Josh and I went out for Cave Creek's Annual Halloween Pub Crawl. It was our third year doing it, and it felt good to keep up with one of the traditions we love.


Lately, the main focus of our days consist of continued efforts to help Max correct his torticollis and plagiocephaly (if you didn't know about this, gotcha! You haven't been reading.) He continues weekly PT and we are scheduled to get an evaluation on his head shape and "severity" (geez, that word sounds so severe) of his tort. Meanwhile, I try to keep him off his head as much as possible, so no more head stands. Just checking if you're still paying attention. I actually carry him around in the Baby Bjorn while around the house, as setting him down in his swing or bouncy seat makes me feel like Mommie Dearest's irresponsible sister. We also incorporate numerous stretches into our day to lengthen his neck muscle. I will be sure to keep you all posted on his definite progress!

How's THAT for suspense.

Ok ok. So I know it's been awhile, and I've heard from many of you that you've been waiting on a new posting and are starting to get the shakes. (It could have also just been the fanbase I've created in my head - those voices are so REAL!). Anyway, so much has happened since I last wrote, and I figured I'd better write the latest before Halloween hits, because that obviously earns its own posting, and then events get ahead of documentation and well it's just a blogger's avalanche.

(Deep inhalation)

SO.



The past month has gifted us with some extremely special visitors. First, my best friend Dana, who travelled with her boyfriend, Doron, to the U.S. from Israel. It was such a special trip, as I get to see her maybe once per year, and Max met his Auntie Dana for the very first time. We all had such fun, hanging at the house and taking them around our 'hood for lunch and sightseeing. Her trip schedule was pretty jam packed as her brother got married the following week, so we only had one day with each other. It wasn't nearly enough time, but nor would have been a year's worth of time with her. It's never enough.

Lauren, Elliott, Riley, Max, Heidi

The very next day, I got to see one of my other best friends, Lauren, and meet her insatiably adorable son, Elliott! They flew in with Lauren's mom from Ohio for a visit. If you're friends with me on facebook, you've surely seen some of her amazing photography in the pictures she took of Josh, Max and I at the park. Lauren, our friend Riley, and I got together for dinner and then lounged around with our rugrats the following day. We watched TMZ and had wine and it was beautiful.

Last but not least, Josh's Aunt Susie and Uncle Mike flew out from North Carolina to meet their great nephew Max. We enjoyed every minute with them, shopping, going out for snacks, and visiting with each other at the house. They also babysat the little boog so that Josh and I could venture out to - hold on to your hat - see a movie. We saw Moneyball, which was good, in case you acidentally stumbled onto my page instead of Rotten Tomatoes. Two desperately unmanicured thumbs up. Anyway, their visit was just great.

"She has no idea she's going to change this diaper"

On the day-to-day front, Max and I busy ourselves with all sorts of outings. You know how I know I'm a suburban stay at home mom? Because I go to things like "Moms On The Move" and "Musicology" and meet up with friends and their little ones to swing by places called Zoolikins and Tush. All jokes aside, I have found it to make a huge difference in my sanity level when we venture out of the house at least once per day.

One of our weekly outings consists of physical therapy, which started last week. Not uncommon, our little Maxamoo has a condition called torticollis (I always think of a tortoise with colic. And now you will, too). Basically, his left neck muscles are tighter than the right, perhaps from chillin' in the womb in the same position for too long, and subsequently, he favors looking to the right. While it's not a huge deal in the immediate future, it can cause positional issues down the road. We are being taught some stretching exercises and other efforts to help his neck muscles lengthen. Since he overdoes it with the right-sided stuff, it doesn't take a brain surgeon to figure that we must encourage Max to look to the left as much as possible, to even the score. Now, the picture below illustrates my creative attempt to offer up a novel visual for Max to gaze at while holding his head to the lefthand side. By scrolling down to the image below, you agree in good faith to not copy, paste, email, BLACKmail, or anything in the 'chortle' family.

Switching gears, wanna know what's redonk? This kid's personality. He smiles and laughs all the time; we don't even have to earn it. Josh and I are savoring this time in his life for every morsel it's worth. He giggles now - and not just the "AHH" sound with a smile (pssh), but an actual "HA HA" (note the second "ha", which constitues a true laugh for all intents and purposes). Every morning I look over into his crib, I am greeted with a smile the size of a Zoolikin, whatever that is. And it's like sparkplugs to my heart. He will be 3 months old on November 2nd, and I know exactly what people meant when they warned me, "it goes by so fast". 'Cause it does.

So there you have it! That's the latest. Stay tuned for future posts, the next of which is sure to recap this weekend's Halloween festivities. As a teaser, know this: Max is a chicken. And I, in my attempt to stay hip and not stray too far off the path of Halloween Costumes Past (you know - any underpaid profession uniform, three sizes too small), have decided that I may - just MAY - undo one strap of my "Farmer Heidi" overalls. Ya. Believe it.


Why, it's THIS way to the Gun Show.

Max at PT, doing an arabesque (sorry Daddy)

 

Look, Max! It's froggy mama! Look left, Max! Left! LOOK F&**!n LEFT!"



 





You know you're a new mother when . . . .

You know you're a new mother when . . . .

1. It takes you 4 hours to walk your ipad from the living room to the bedroom to plug into the charger.
2. Babycenter.com has replaced Google and/or Facebook as your home page.
3. You continue to sway in a side-to-side rocking motion after handing off your baby to your husband.
4. Blow drying your hair is reserved for only those occasions on which you are sure you will be seeing other adults (makeup and any pants of the non-sweat variety apply here, as well).
5. You start talking to your coffee.
6. You hear your baby stir in the middle of the night and you, before completely waking up, have a glorious dream that you hired an evening nanny. (True story).
7. The thought of heading to the grocery store with your infant makes you sweat and end up in the pantry, talking yourself into preferring the expiring corn flakes you've been grazing on the past six days.
8. You laugh at all your high heels and wedges as they get kicked further and further back into the closet.
9. Baby talk inadvertently finds its way into every adult conversation at least once.
10. You lock eyes with your smiling child, and your heart melts into his like they have beat as one your entire life.

A nod to the Boob Tube

As a stay at home mom (or, "SAHM", the acronym I quickly learned after posting my neurotic questions on countless pregnancy forums), I am kept quite busy taking care of our little booger, but I do get some down time. One of my hobbies that has grown into more of an indulgence than ever before has been that of watching television (please pull in that lower lip that I predict has just sagged as part of a pitied response to my new, Suburban Mom agenda). I love TV! Which is a good thing, considering that this fall has brought with it a lineup of shows that are absolutely amazing, not the least of which is NBC's new hit comedy, Up All Night. It follows the life of new-parents-couple Reagan (Christina Applegate - love!) and Chris (Will Arnett - love love!), and includes, in my opinion, one of the funniest supporting roles on TV, talk show host Ava (Maya Rudolph - more loves).

The timing could not have been more perfect. When the first previews for this show were aired, I was about 8 months pregnant with "Baby K". I remember rubbing my belly while telling Josh how awesome it was that we'd be able to watch this show that will parellel our lives with the little munchkin. Fast forward a couple months, and picture it: Josh and I, new parents for just over 4 weeks and questioning everything we ever knew about anything we ever thought we knew about parenting. Or babies. Or how to center one's self. My two-day-old ponytail barely hanging on by the thread of my hair tie, giant mug-o-coffee perched on the end table as a  lifeline to sustained energy (and liquid hugs, if you ask me), I cradled a fussy Max in my arms and swayed from side to side as the pilot episode premiered. With my mind in a million places and my body begging for sleep, I doubted my ability to even focus on the show's dialogue, let alone enjoy it. But I had waited for this day for months now, and like hell if I was going to forfeit an opportunity to watch a friggin' television show.

And then it started. And it was perfect. It was accurate. It was US.

I don't know if it was the writing, the acting, or that this show so perfectly captured what it had been like for Josh and I the past month acclimating to parenthood. All I knew is that my overwhelming sense of gratitude to the creators for giving me the gift of feeling NORMAL could no better be expressed than by tears of amusement/appreciation, incessant "shrieky" laughter, and interjecting commentary of "Uh huh!"s, "You KNOW that's right!"s, "Oh my God, yes! So true!"s, and so forth. If I'd been in a movie theatre, I'd have gotten shushed and Raisinettes thrown at my head.

So consider this post a big ups to Up All Night - a show that gives an empathic high-five to the journey of parenting and trying to retain some semblance of the cool, hip young cats we all used to be before burp rags and bottle cleaners.

Thanks, NBC! You are mommy's blankie.