Happy Halloween!!!

Our Little German Baker

Last month was World Culture Month at Max's school. Each class studied a particular country throughout the month and the festivities came to a close with a parade through the parking lot at the end of the month with each class dressed as members of their respective country. Max's class represented Germany and it's renowned bakers famous for their Pat-a-Cake skills. In addition to wearing the hat, Max is also now proud to demonstrate how he can clap his hands together!

Decoding Baby Talk

I really enjoy the weekend because I get to spend so much time with Max and Shannon. This past weekend was no exception.

Max is ten months old and developing quite a little personality. He is very happy and getting more vocal everyday. He hasn’t said anything that would “technically” be considered his first words. He did say “Da Da” when pointing at me. At first I was excited, but then I noticed quickly that he also says it when pointing to the lamp, window and the dog.

We recently began this fun game called “Test Dad’s Knowledge on Household Items.” It starts with Max pointing at something and uttering “uttsat”. I interpret this to mean “What’s that?” I quickly answer “ceiling fan” (or whatever I think he is pointing at.) Max then responds “huh?” I repeat myself slowly and clearly “ceiling fan”.

Satisfied with my answer (the second time) he points to another object and we begin the process again. The game can last anywhere from a few minutes to an hour. It usually ends when we come across something that’s flashes, beeps or sings a (nauseatingly) cheerful song about shapes or animals.

Besides quizzing his father, Max has also begun responding to questions of his own. He has a book about dogs that he likes to read. Big dogs, small dogs, clean dogs sloppy…blah, blah, blah big ears floppy. (Can you tell I have read it a time or two?) There is a part in the book where a puppy says “Arf, Arf!” and Max loves it when you bark out loud.

Anyway, now when you ask Max what the puppy says, he will respond. He can’t quite bark yet but he will say “Ugh, Ugh” or “Bup, Bup”. It's pretty cute.

With him becoming so aware, I really need to start watching what I say or his first real words could be very interesting.

Our Saviour Owen Meany February 1993 - September 2008

Over 15 years ago, Dan and I were walking around Hamilton Place mall a month or so after we had gotten engaged. We spotted the cutest little shih tzu in the pet store. We played with him a little and then walked back out in the mall discussing if we would get a dog after we married and what kind we might get, etc.

I remember sitting on one of those mall benches dreaming about what we might name a dog when we did get one. We were filled with ideas about the life that we were starting to plan with one another. We agreed that we would get an inside dog. I'd always wanted one but had never been allowed and Dan had always had them at his house.

Dan and I had taken a trip to Florida over spring break earlier that year and during the drive I had read out loud the entire novel A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving. (I guess that was before we even knew audio books existed.) After hearing that high pitched, squeaky bark in the pet store that was way bigger than the dog itself, we agreed that the perfect name for that little puppy would be Owen, since he reminded us both of the little boy with the high pitched, very loud squeaky voice that we had enjoyed reading about in John Irving's novel.

I guess once you name a dog, it's yours. We didn't have the money to buy him, but they approved me to buy Owen on credit (at who knows what interest). So, a couple of hours later we were the proud owners of a black and white shih tzu named Our Saviour Owen Meany. That was our first purchase as a couple. And boy was it a good one!

Those of you who know Owen, know that from the beginning he had personality. He definitely had a mind of his own and opinions about lots of things. He never really liked other dogs too much and didn't care for children either. I always thought that he had a little bit of a short man syndrome and wanted to bully anything that he thought he could. Dan suspected that he probably had bad experiences with kids in the pet store before we rescued him. At any rate, we always worried that it would be a problem if we ever had children.

A few years ago, we decided to take in another shih tzu, Foxxy Cleopatra. I wouldn't say that Owen welcomed her into his home with open arms but he definitely came to love her and I think that her perkiness probably extended his life. He was certainly much more active after we got her.

But while I was pregnant, we discovered that Owen had lymphoma and treatment options were limited due to my condition. He didn't seem to have any symptoms other than the tumors growing below his ears, so, we opted for conservative treatments throughout my pregnancy. Owen was already almost 14 years old.

Once we had Max, Owen seemed to have lost most of his hearing, either because of old age or because of the tumors, and was really unphased by the addition to the family. A blessing in disguise I guess. A couple of months ago it seemed that the tumors were growing again so we began some new medications and he responded positively but we knew our time with him was limited. We agreed that we would do everything we could to give him a good quality of life, but once that was deteriorated, we would not let him suffer.

So, yesterday evening, all of the sudden Owen seemed to have lost most of his vision and became very disoriented. We carried him to bed with us, where he gobbled down his bedtime treats just like always. But when he wasn't any better this morning, and couldn't go for our morning walk, we knew it was time to say goodbye.

Owen lived a very long and very happy life. Dan and I are so grateful for the time we had with him and all that he taught us about being responsible adults and creating a loving home. We can't imagine a life without him and are going to miss him beyond belief. Thanks for sharing in our loss and keep us in your thoughts on this very sad day.

Much love,
Shannon

Showdown at the MM Corral

I could use several paragraphs to describe what it is like to babysit my son. It is much easier if I just sum it up for you.

Max is mobile.
Max is quick.
Max does not sit still unless he is asleep (even then he squirms a little).

Shannon and I have resorted to what we call the MM Corral. The MM Corral consists of strategically placed couches, loveseats, ottomans and footrests. Like coaches describing an NFL running back, “We can’t stop him…we only hope to contain him.”

The truth is, it works like a charm. We can spend Saturday afternoons playing with Max instead of chasing him.

We should enjoy it while it lasts. It won’t be long before he will figure out how to get out and then we better lace up the running shoes.

9 Months Old Today!

Can you believe he's 9 months old already? Us, either. We thought time went by pretty quickly before we had Max but now it seems like we blink and he's moved on to a new skill set.

Max has really started to enjoy taking his bath and it's a good thing since he has to have one every day now. His little knees and the tops of his feet get pretty dirty after a full day of crawling around everywhere. His newest trick is pushing things around and he is obsessed with it. He will push anything that moves easily from one end of the house to the other. And I got a report from his teacher at school that he has learned he can push the cribs in his classroom around and he especially enjoys doing it if one of his friends happens to be sleeping in it.

I can only imagine how life will continue to change when he starts walking!

New Morning Routine

About four weeks ago, I started going to the gym at night. I come home from work, spend a few minutes with Max as he gets ready for bed, talk to Shannon a little bit and then head to the fitness center for a workout. Aside from being wide awake at 10:00 PM, it is a schedule that is working pretty well.

Because going to the gym together is no longer an option, this week Shannon started doing her workouts at the crack of dawn (about 5:00AM, ughhhhhh!). What this means for me is that Max and I now spend our morning together.
I generally get up by 5:30 so that I can take a shower, get dressed, pack my lunch and let the dogs out before my smiling son wakes up. That’s not a big deal because it’s only about 30 minutes earlier than I would normally get up. I am happy to do it. It gives me some “daddy” time with Max during the week. (Plus, as y’all know, I LOVE mornings!)

About 5:50 or 6:00 AM I can hear Max jabbering on the baby monitor. That is when the fun really starts. I flip on the hall light and slowly open the door to his room. I am immediately greeted by a big smile as the boy peers through the bars of his crib. He looks like an inmate about to be paroled. In the last couple of weeks he has started to do this surprised type “gasp” whenever he sees you for the first time. It is just like the sound you would make if you had been holding your breath under water and had just surfaced for some badly needed air. It’s a total riot!

After some routine hugs and kisses it is straight to the changing table for a clean diaper. This is no easy task now that the boy has become mobile. The second I lay him on the changing pad he tries to flip over and crawl away. It’s like a fun little game we play. Flip the boy over…unbutton the jammies. Flip the boy back over….loosen the diaper. Flip the boy back over…take off the dirty diaper. Then, while simultaneously holding him down with my left arm, I wipe him down and slide a clean diaper under him. Last, but not least, I try to get his feet back in his pajamas while he is kicking like a miniature Chuck Norris.

Next comes Max’s breakfast.

Rule number one for feeding my son is: Do NOT put him in the highchair unless you are ready to feed him. In Max’s world, strapped in = food. Sometimes you can distract him with a wooden spoon to play with, but that will only last for a minute. The longer he waits to eat the more he will grunt and groan. As soon as you get his cereal ready and walk over to the highchair to start feeding him, he will get a big smile and let out another one of his happy “gasps”. Then it is just a matter of scooping and shoveling.

By the time we get done with our breakfast Momma is home and Daddy can leave for work. Another successful morning.