Baby Food Making Marathon

Today I went on another one of my baby food making marathons. It will last the next few days while I cycle through my supply of ice cube trays. I love being able to make Max's food for him, that way I can ensure it's additive, sugar, and salt free while still letting him have a wider variety of food than is available in a jar. However, today I managed to burn myself, get almost every dish in the house dirty, and wear out my mom's poor steamer. Those little glass jars at Target look really appealing sometimes...

Eight Month Update

Max turned eight months yesterday, and it's still so hard for me to believe. We started the weekend with a visit from Grandpa Tim on Friday, and he came with toys. He got Max this cute little lion that he can either push or ride on. Max, little monkey that he is, has figured out how to walk behind it to get around the house (and create havoc) even faster than he can crawling. It's just a matter of time before he starts walking. He's so busy and into everything except, of course, for his toys.

The other major development he's hit recently is developing separation anxiety. Poor little guy, I had symphony again this week and a concert last night, and he did not do well with his sitter. I'm going to have to bribe the poor girl to come back. It didn't help that he still hasn't gotten completely over his cold.

Sundays with Max are always a three ring circus now that he's mobile. Don't get me wrong, Max has never been easy in church, but now he's the ward entertainment. He loves to jabber, which is good developmentally, but he cannot do it quietly. He also thinks it's fun to crawl around and try and attack the teacher in Sunday School. Luckily for me, I have to lead the music in primary, so mom takes him to young women's with her. There he has a room full of teenage babysitters to chase after him.

I'm just ecstatic to have such a happy, vivacious little guy. I wouldn't trade one minute of chasing him around for anything in the world.

Sick

This has been a slow week. I would have posted earlier if there had been much to write about, promise.

Last Saturday I played the symphony gala pops concert- Torme sings Torme. It was a fun and very eclectic set list that included everything from The Christmas Song to The Beatles to Stevie Wonder. While it was enjoyable to play, the crowd felt a little flat, and I wouldn't call it an overwhelming success. Oh well, this week we get to try it again with a very classical concert. We're doing Chabrier, d'Indy, and Mozart. The music is killer, and I'm not exactly looking forward to it. That's a total of nine services in a two week span. I'm getting a little overwhelmed!

Max has a cold, hence the title. It's nothing bad, and he's already starting to feel better. Little munchkin man; nothing slows him down much, and he's still his happy-go-lucky self. He'll be back up to full speed in no time.

Hopefully I'll have more to report next week!

Pictures

As promised, here are pictures of the new (to us) truck. Darreck's new pride and joy. I'm also posting a more recent picture of Max standing. Crawling is so two weeks ago- the new thing is pulling himself up on everything and cruising along the furniture. His second tooth also emerged this week. It's one of those months where I wish time would slow down and let me catch up.

P.S. Max was helping us with laundry day. Our room does not normally look like that- promise!

New Stuff

Two new things yesterday that I still haven't managed to get pictures of (but am diligently trying to):

1. Max got his first tooth! I've been checking everyday because he's been drooling a ton, but mom and gram were the first to discover it Saturday morning. He's been a little trooper through the whole process. I'm hoping that's why he's still not sleeping well, but I'll find just about anything to attribute his horrible sleep habits to. I'm unwilling to admit that it just may be his personality.
2. Darreck got a truck. This new job necessitated buying a new vehicle quickly, and we were lucky enough to get a good deal on my Grandpa Jack's old GMC Sonoma. I'm so excited to have the truck back in our family, and I'm even more lucky that Darreck agreed that it was a great choice for our family. Now we just have to pay back our loan from the bank of mom and dad. Ugh, at least they're a good lender!

Off to a Good Start

Darreck started his new job on Monday, and so far so good! He's working as a counselor at the Montana School for the Deaf and Blind. His new schedule is a little funky, Wednesday-Sunday from 1:30-9:30, but we're adjusting well as a family. I kind of enjoy my quiet time between when Max goes to bed and Darreck gets home. The only child in me runs deep- I need my alone time each day!

The only downer to the new job is that it has necessitated buying a second car, and quickly at that. Symphony rehearsals start again next week, and life is turning into a logistical nightmare. Luckily, we found out that my Grandpa Jack's old truck happens to be for sale, so we're going to look at it Saturday. I know it's dangerous to get my hopes up, but I'm SO excited.

As for Max, he's a little put out that dad's not home to put him to bed, but he's too busy exploring to get too upset about anything. We're having fun chasing him around and trying to keep him out of stuff. We finally took down the tree yesterday, thinking life would get easier, but he immediately started going after the lamp instead. He managed to pull it over on himself twice yesterday. Just be glad it's a really light lamp.

Hope everyone else is having a good start to their new year. This will be an amazing year for us. I can feel it.

Happy New Year

It's funny to think that this time last year we were moving into yet another apartment. We move a lot...

Acutally, last year at this time we hadn't found out that Max was a boy, had no idea what we were doing after graduation, and were both working at Opportunities Unlimited. It amazes me how much has changed in one year, both for the good and the bad. We graduated college, had a baby, left Moscow, went through two more apartments, and Darreck has gone through two jobs. In the middle we've dealt with internships, finals, jaundice, reflux, colic, moving three times, countless doctors appointments, and so many job applications and interviews we've lost track.

This was the year I feel we found out what we were made of as a couple and as individuals. Although we've faced our share of trials, I mostly feel that we have been richly blessed, especially with the addition of Max. I, for one, have especially learned the importance of letting Heavenly Father guide and not trying to see the end at the beginning of a journey. Well, I guess I should say I'm still learning.

We don't have any specific resolutions, just some family goals and a desire to keep on keeping on. I'm really looking forward to what this year has to bring. Darreck starts his new job on Monday, and we're finally getting settled back in Great Falls. The months have flown by, and my greatest desire is that I get some breathing room to catch up. Max's first few months flew by in a haze of crying and sleeplessness, and I really want to enjoy the next few months as he gets into everything. He'll be talking and walking and leaving home before we know it. Hmmm...

We hope that all our friends and family have a wonderful new year. We look forward sharing our adventures with you, and we hope that you'll share your lives with us as well.