turri ink: 10 months with max!

is there a word that means bigger than huge? that would be month 10. every month we think this has to be the best month of max's little life... and then the next one rolls around, and we feel the same way :o). we've experienced tons of amazing new things, and have just reveled in our little one's amazing, spunky, and lovable personality. if you make it to the end of this post, consider yourself a major max lover :o).

we had a well baby visit this month, and with it came a big change... TEARS! max always loves our doc, but this time he was weary from the start. as soon as we stripped him down and put him on the scale, he cried. that was pretty much the way it went until he was dressed and sure we were on the way back home :o(. jeff did tell us that he is healthy, healthy and pretty perfect :o). he weighed in at 18 pounds even, and was 27.5 inches long. he's a little on the small-ish side, but jeff assured us it is no indicator of how tall he'll be as an adult (he must have seen the panic in my eyes ;o)). how can he be low on the charts when he looks so BIG right here??!!

always a favorite toy before bath time- the scale! i mean, it lights up- what's better than that?! i guess our scale at home weighs a little on the heavy side... let's go with that ;o).

bath time is still a favorite around here too. pretty sure it runs a close second to hangin' with dad time ;o).

this month brought 'real' crawling to life. before he would do it off and on, then resort to scooting when he wanted to get somewhere quick. then one day, the scooting was just gone! who knows how this little one's mind works?!

... and the standing continues. the baskets at target are his favorite, lots of room to get up, turn around, and check everything out!

this is about the bravest he's gotten when it comes to standing, and we've only seen him do it once. he turned around on his own and stayed standing with his back against the fireplace for just a minute or two. he hasn't convinced himself to try standing on his own yet ;o). he's also showcasing his favorite toy here. is it not a real toy?? then he loves it!! at least he's a good listener when he wants to be. we tell him no and he definitely understands. it's proven to be very helpful in those times that something yucky (like a dustpan) is about to make its way into his baby mouth!

the pantry is also a new favorite. he was beyond thrilled when he realized he could open the doors, then even more excited when he saw that all his goodies were on the bottom shelf! lovin' that bottle- even empty!!

cut to a few days later, and he figured out how to reach the snack shelf (thank god it was a little more organized than the above pic ;o)). he can't see the shelf, but was just tall enough to pull down a bag of chips, shake them until the clip came off and chips shot everywhere. before i had time to clean up his mess, he got his first taste of a chip ;o). being a carb and all, i'm sure he loved it!

food has continued to be somewhat of a battle. we offer veggies pretty much daily, he throws them on the floor pretty much daily. we're just hoping his eating habits improve as his pallet develops ;o). otherwise, carbs and fruit it is i guess :o/. and thanks ry for this picture he sent me when i was out and about a few sundays ago :o).

max has definitely turned into a music lover. if the right beat comes on, he will rock his little body, and shake his hands. THE best!!

our baby boy is officially mimicking sounds, and making associations! duck (dut) is one that he has down pat! he will see that duck from across the room and start calling for it :o). mama is another popular word, but i'm pretty sure he thinks it means more food. it's most popular at meal times in the high chair. dada is another he's got down, but not sure he's associating that one yet either. balloon, or 'boo' to him is one he knows for sure. just like the duck, he will point and call for it. i guess ry and i can hope for an association someday, huh?

LOVE this pic. love that he has a piece of carrot muffin (a-la martha stewart, recipe here) on his head. and this pic is proof of how much more interactive he is. if ry and i are laughing about something, he starts laughing. watching the golden globes the other night, he paused and looked at the tv when he heard clapping. he took a break, sat back, and started clapping too! then the audience laughed, and he threw that little head back and laughed too!

this month was our snuggliest yet. this boy has found the way to melt our hearts even more (never thought that was possible). he was never a super snuggly baby, so now when we pick him up and he wraps his arms around our necks, we know he's doing it because he means it. maybe my most favorite mama moments yet. he's also got my number, when he's not ready for his nap yet, he just wraps those arms around me and melts into me. how am i supposed to put him in his crib then? smart boy ;o).

just a special moment from this month. chatting with his great-great-grandma green, who turned 106 last april. she is one amazing lady, and what an amazing gift for max to be able to know his great-great-grandma!

max has taken an even bigger interest in older kids lately. he wants to be doing what the big guys (or gals) are doing. thankfully we have lots of sweet older kiddos around that will show max the ropes, in a good way :o).

it's been really cool to see max actually 'play' with his toys now, not just eat them ;o). he is really good at playing by himself, which is a blessing. he likes to throw all of his toys out of the bins, then go get them and throw them somewhere else. kinda like playing fetch with himself ;o). i'm slowly learning that i don't need to pick up after him... until he's in bed for the night. what's the point really? he can make messes at least twice as fast as i can clean them. ry says he's like a tornado ;o).

makeup drawer- close runner up to the pantry. but number one for making messes in mom & dad's bedroom. but that face...seriously?!

first feel of snow on new year's day. too cold for him!

love that duck-ish 'do, from the front that is. we are trying to hold out on cutting his hair until his 1st birthday, but his new nickname around here is macgyver, so not sure we'll be able to hold out that long ;o).

this cool guy has been in size 2 dipes for most of his life, but finally when this pack is gone we will move up to size 3's- yahoo!! 9 month clothes are just about finished for good, moving on to bigger and better stuff ;o). and love that piece of muffin that is still on his head, like a teeny tiny party hat ;o).