Saturday Morning with Max

Last Saturday morning, after Shannon had fed him, I put Max in the bathtub. His hands and feet were stinky and his second and third chin smelled like sour milk. He needed a good scrub. I ran warm water in the tub and stripped him naked. I lathered him up and scrubbed him clean. (He especially liked it when I was washing his little feet.) Max is happy in the tub as long as we keep warm water on him.

When I was done bathing him I put a clean diaper on him, greased him up with baby lotion and then put him in a new outfit. “Good as new,” I said. He was smiling from ear to ear.

We both went into the living room to hang out. The older Max gets, the more fun he is to hang out with. He is two months old (after 8 weeks you can start giving their age in months) and he is starting to enjoy “playtime”. Playtime is that magical, yet brief, period between breastfeeding, pooping, burping, baths and napping.

I put a soft blanket on the floor so Max and I could stretch our legs. The TV was playing music videos but we weren’t watching. We listened to the songs and Max would “dance” to the music. He would smile and laugh as I sang along to the lyrics. His favorite video of the morning was the song “Low” by the hip-hop artist Flo Rida (pronounced flow rider). He loves songs about big booty! Of course that is when his mother walked in the room.

“What on earth are you singing with my son?!” Shannon says. “Chill Mom,” I say, “that’s his jam. Max is just trying to get his groove on.”

Long story short. I decided we better stick to singing about the ABC’s.

8 weeks old!

In just the last couple of days, Max seems to have entered a whole new stage of development. He's starting to interact more, noticing everything. Last night, he actually paid attention when I read him his bedtime story. I'll have him writing book reports before long!

A Million Dollar Smile

Last night I came home from work a little bit late. When I walked in the house, Shannon was in the kitchen and Max was in his bouncy seat in the living room. I gave Shannon a kiss and walked into the other room to see my baby boy. He was just waking up from a nap. It was just about time for him to eat. He was starting to whimper a little bit.

I got down on the floor, right next to his seat and said “Hi Max!” He turned his wobbly little head towards me and got this big grin on his face. “Do you think he recognizes me or does he just have some gas?” I said to Shannon. “Of course he knows you,” she said. “He loves his Daddy”. She may have been humoring me. All I know is when he smiled at me, everything seemed right with the world.

Now, I love my wife very much. Our marriage is happy and healthy. We are supportive and make a good team. However, even Shannon will admit that being married to me hasn’t always been a bed of roses. I know that you are thinking, that is impossible, but it is true. Being my wife sometimes has its drawbacks. Early on in our marriage we did not “communicate” quite as well. It was only after I established myself as the head of the household that we were able to start working together. (Shannon wasn’t used to dealing with so much “passion”.) I never thought anything could compare to my feelings for Shannon.

Until my baby boy smiled at me.

What a difference six weeks makes!

I am not sure what started the conversation but last night Shannon chastised me for not taking any video of our son. Out of the blue she blurted out, “Have you been taking any movies of our son?” “We will be sorry in a few years when we forget how sweet and cute he is right now,” she followed. “I WEAR THE PANTS IN THIS FAMILY AND I WILL DECIDE WHAT AND WHEN I VIDEOTAPE!” I said. Of course, when the words actually left my mouth it sounded more like “yes, maam”. The truth is, although I have not filmed his every movement, I have done my fair share of taping. So when Shannon was putting Max down for the night I hooked the handycam up to the computer. I wanted to download and save what I had recorded. There were several small segments from Max’s entire life (so far). Until you see the images side by side like that, it is hard to believe how much Max has changed.

There is a short clip of Max the day after he was born. His Aunt Donna is holding him. His skin is wrinkly and pink and he is bundled up like a “baby burrito”. Fast forward a few weeks and we see little Max sitting on his GiGi’s lap in the library. He is smiling and looking around. You can tell it is the same baby, but WOW. He is growing so fast.

The other night I came home from work and Max was in the living room kicked back in his recliner ( aka bouncy seat). He was wearing a pair of light blue, footy jammies. As I stood there smiling down at him, something looked a little odd. “I know what you’re thinking…his clothes are getting a little small for him already” Shannon said. “Small?” I thought “if he raises his arms his little legs bend”. We better try a bigger size. “Four days ago the legs were too long” I said. Maybe we should stick to things that are open ended. I don’t want to stunt his growth.

If I can figure out how, I will post some video to the blog. You will see what I mean. For now you will have to live with pictures.

Wow! Five Weeks Old!

I can’t believe that Max is five weeks old already. Like they say, “Time flies when you’re having fun.” We sure have been having fun with him. It seems our baby has been smiling since he came home from the hospital. (I suspect some of that has been indigestion.) Like all southern babies he will “pitch a fit” now and again but, for the most part, he is a happy little fella. Hungry, too!

While Shannon was pregnant we had several discussions about breastfeeding versus formula feeding. There are pros and cons to both. I can’t say that we feel super strong either way. Ultimately the health benefits and cost made our decision easy. If Shannon was capable of nursing, we should at least give it a try. Besides, I was afraid that if we didn’t the La Leche League (or Boob Nazi’s as I call them) would protest in front of our house.

Cheaper has certainly turned out to be beneficial. Max eats like a champ. His table manners leave a lot to be desired, though. He squeaks and moans and grunts while he is breastfeeding. It borders on obscene. Shannon says “I can’t possible feed this kid in public”. We’ll have to work on that.

We have known all along that Max would go to daycare and Shannon would return to work. Shannon has been pumping and storing breast milk for when that happens. Watching my wife nurse my son is beautiful and natural. Opening the fridge to get a Pepsi and seeing bags and bottles of my wife’s milk is not. Don’t get me wrong, I am not repulsed or anything, just a little freaked out. I know that it is necessary. I also knew that we would have to make the boob to bottle transition soon.

I gave him his first bottle last Saturday. We were more than a little concerned. Everything we have read suggested that it would be difficult and it is important that he take a bottle. We asked the pediatrician about it. Dr. Wiley said that breastfed babies can be pretty particular. “Just try an ounce or so and see if he accepts it,” said the doctor.

So, we sterilize the bottles and nipples. Then we debated on which type, size, nipple and amount of milk we should try. “I read that it helps if the mother isn’t in the room when you try to introduce a bottle,” said Shannon. “No problem,” I said. “Just don’t get too far away in case we need a boob transfusion”.

It is a good thing Shannon was just in the other room. Max took that first ounce of milk like it was a shot of tequila. I was left sitting there with an empty bottle and a hungry, crying baby. “Shannon, you better bring me some more milk in a hurry!” I shouted. She came in with another bottle full of milk. Like the gas man in the NASCAR pit crew, I popped the empty one out and popped in the full one. Success.

Christmas with Baby Max

He is just a month old and already has his first Christmas under his belt. For the most part it was a typical Minninger holiday weekend. Very low key. I don’t think our family will ever be compared to the Griswold’s at Christmas. Not that we don’t have our traditions.

Shannon and I always begin the Christmas holiday by taking a drive to look at houses all decorated with Christmas lights. We get into the car and load the cd player with all of our seasonal favorites. I like the Elvis Christmas cd the best. Depending on the weather we will get coffee and hot chocolate. Then we drive all over Chattanooga neighborhoods looking for festive displays.

This year we took our son. He got all bundled up in his favorite jammies and then we put him in his car seat. I could see the anticipation in his eyes as we loaded him into the backseat of the car. In fact, Max was so overcome with excitement that he fell asleep before we left the driveway. I’m sure he’ll appreciate more in the next few years.

Christmas Eve is always spent at Shannon’s Mom’s house. Shannon’s brother, sisters and their families meet at Granny Alice’s for nachos, chili, hotdogs and presents. It is always a good time. Max got dressed up in his best Christmas outfit. He wanted to make a good first impression on the family members he hadn’t met yet. Plus, he has a reputation to uphold as the adorable new grandbaby.

He was very well behaved. Max fell asleep on the ride over and then didn’t wake up for two hours. (Shannon and I even had to open his presents for him.) He wasn’t very social when he first woke up either, because he was very hungry. Shannon took him in the other room and “topped him off” and changed his diaper. When they emerged from the bedroom he was ready to visit with relatives. We laid him on a quilt in the middle of the floor. Max smiled and babbled and kicked his little legs while his Granny, Auntie Jill and Momma hovered over him. “What a ham,” I thought. Before long it was time for everybody to head home.

Later that night Max had trouble going to sleep. I think he was too excited about Santa Claus coming to town. That’s okay. He and I sat on the couch together and watched the movie “Elf” starring Will Ferrell. It’s one of Max’s favorites. Mine too.

On Christmas morning it is tradition for Shannon and I to get up early, make some coffee and start a fire. (I actually just flip a switch on the gas logs.) Then we open our Christmas stockings and presents. This year was an exception. There were very few presents under the tree. Shannon and I decided that having a happy, healthy baby boy was enough of a gift. We spent most of the morning talking about what it will be like when Max is old enough to get excited about Santa and toys. I can’t wait. For the record I bought Shannon “the clapper” as a present.

Because my parents are out of town, Shannon, Max and I spent the rest of Christmas day in “comfy” clothes watching movies. I made French toast and bacon for breakfast. We had pigs in a blanket for a snack. That night I grilled steaks and made twice baked potatoes. (Max had boobs for all three meals.) It was the perfect way to spend a day as a new family.

Generally, after opening presents in the morning, Shannon and I would relax a couple of hours and then head to GiGi and Grampie’s for a big Christmas dinner. (by relax I mean eat breakfast and go back to bed) “Uncle” Dick and “Aunt” Nancy are always there. It is fun to have a big meal and then sit around and play games or talk over coffee. This year Grampie and GiGi went to Florida to visit Carole and the boys. We are going to celebrate when they get back. I can taste the standing rib roast already. (My mouth is watering.) I know Max is eager to see his grandparents. I would be willing to bet there are some hugs, kisses and gifts in his immediate future.

Next week is New Years Eve! I’ll bet we get crazy and party ‘till the wee hours of 10 PM.

Max's First Bath!

We gave Max his first “real” bath on Sunday afternoon. His mother had wiped him down a couple of times, but this was the first time he would get the full treatment. Shannon was worried how he would react. I may have mentioned before that Max doesn’t seem to like being naked. (He gets that from his mother.) Like any new mom, she doesn’t want to see her baby upset. I, on the other hand, have been dying to give the kid a bath since I watched him being born. Sure he looks and smells clean, but I saw how dirty his apartment was before he moved in with us. Of course, we had to wait until his umbilical “stump” fell off and healed. With that accomplished, it was time for a proper scrub.

First thing I had to do was decide where this delicate dance would take place. My options were the kitchen sink, the bathtub or the sink in the bathroom next to the nursery. I hadn’t finished cleaning up the kitchen from breakfast, so I ruled that out. (Of course, I briefly considered how I could wash the baby and the skillet at the same time.) I settled on the bathroom sink.

Like the child care books recommend, I got out everything we would need and put it in arms reach of the sink. I put a couple of towels on the counter next to the sink. I didn’t know how much water we were going to have to wipe up. I could easily see this thing getting out of hand. All I need now was a baby and a video camera.

I filled up the sink and put in some Johnson's baby shampoo while Shannon took off Max’s clothes. When she was ready to lower him into the water, I grabbed the video camera. I wanted to make sure and record his first bath for posterity. That and so I can embarrass him as a teenager.

As we predicted, he was not very happy about being naked and wet. He began to squirm and fuss. Shannon tenderly let me know that she was having trouble holding our slippery son, and that I should put down the camera and help her. I took Max’s head and neck in my left hand and hooked my thumb under his arm. It was like trying to hold a catfish one handed. I gently washed his head and body with a washcloth. I thought I was doing a great job because his cry dulled to a whimper. It was then I noticed the stream of pee shooting out of the water. It had to be a foot higher than the counter. I cupped my right hand and attempted to block the spray from getting everywhere. All I could think was “This is the kind of stuff that should be on the video.” Shannon wrapped him in a towel while I drained and refilled the sink. I put him back in the water and rinsed him off. To my surprise he didn’t fuss when I slowly poured warm water over his head.

When I was done, we dried him off and then greased him up like a bodybuilder. I put a fresh diaper on him and then some tiny, footie jammies with a puppy on them. He smelled and looked fresh and clean. I swear he was smiling at me. I held him in my arms and declared, “First bath complete.”

It was at that moment I felt him poop his diaper.