Month 7, Day 24 - Dashed dreams, literally

The very next night, Max went to sleep around 8.30pm, and got up at 1.30am, 4.30am, and 6.30am. Apparently, he was just teasing Mom with his one-time 10-hour deal.

Month 7, Day 23 - Finally, a serious snooze

For the first time ever, in his nearly eight months of life, Max slept for 10.5 hours (from 8 pm to 6.45am). This is a huge accomplishment, particularly given that he hasn't slept more than six consecutive hours since we arrived in Virginia five months ago, and honestly, his average track record is more like three hours at a time. Mom and Dad did their best to seriously "poop him out" this weekend, and it paid off. If only there were more gun shows to take him to...

Month 7, Day 13 - A "Real" Solid... Kinda

Now that Max has reached the "unsupported sitter" stage, Mom looked into other age-appropriate foods for our rapidly growing baby. Enter "Little Puffs" (generic brand) - an oat-like munchie that dissolves a bit quicker than Cheerios. According to the container, another "sign" that your child is ready for this snack is that he is able to pick up food with his thumb and first finger. Hmmm.... Max was very challenged in that department. He tried many times, but he was more likely to get the Puff stuck to his fingers and palms (see last picture) than actually picking it up. On top of that, I don't think he even realized it was food. He never once tried to stick it in his mouth (never mind the fact that he sticks everything else there!). After 15 minutes of picking Puffs off the floor and trying to show Max that they were edible by eating one herself, Mom popped one into Max's mouth and then panicked when she thought he could end up choking on it. He was fine - confused by the texture and not entirely thrilled about the new dining experience - but fine. The next time Mom put him in the high chair, he immediately reached for a stray Puff on the table. So it must have made some impression. But again, there was no effort to eat it. I guess we'll stick to runny "solids" for now.

Month 7, Day 12 - The Max Collection

Mom has been a little behind with uploading pictures, hence the "Max Collection" below which spans a few weeks' worth of pictures.

Max cuddling with Grandma California. He took very good care of her while Mom and Dad were at work.

We just can't get enough bath pictures...
Of course, Dad couldn't resist harassing his own baby boy. It started off innocently enough...
But then Max didn't quite like the sideburns and beard addition...
Max's first day at the big boy pool. We discovered - after loading up the Radio Flyer with Max, towels, toys, sunscreen, hats, and cameras - that the water was too cold for him to get fully wet. But it was just right for his little piggies to take a swim.

Max was very interested in the pretty flowers at the poolside....

...which he proceeded to eat, much to Mom's dismay.

Max "helping" Mom and Dad make the bed.

"Where did the baby go?" Max putting his new camouflage sleep sack to the test (guess who picked out that design!).

It's tough to wake him for daycare when he looks like this... (but usually he's up long before then anyway)

This is Max, trying to be Jack. (See Jack here)

But his Jack-impression leaves a lot to be desired....

Max wondering where Dad is and when he is coming home to feed him. (Note to Dad: I miss you!)

Month 7 - Max's Big Bang

The Fourth of July coincided with Max's 7-month birthday, and we couldn't let the day pass without a little celebration. So we lit a few sparklers on the patio before his bedtime. And we had another visitor - Grandma California (dad's mom) arrived for a visit. It was an exciting day for Mr. Max!

While we look like horrible parents in the picture below, we kept Max a safe distance from the sparklers at all other times. Max and Grandma California.

It must have just been too much fun because the next morning, Max fell asleep in his high chair while Grandma CA was feeding him.