Month 9, Day 19: Metamorphic Max

Like "the hungry catepillar" story, Max has gone through awesome changes over the past month. Over the course of two or three weeks, Max has grown out of his 9-month onesies and into 18-month shirts and pants (12-mo clothing is snug!). His mode of mobility has gone from scooting backwards and sitting up to crawling and pulling himself up to standing wherever he gets the chance (on the couch, in the bathtub, on Mom and Dad). The "thump-thump" of his little hands and knees hitting the floor as he follows Mom around is a new sound around the apartment. As unmanly as it sounds, he is now Max the Butterfly (and still very hungry). Pictures and videos of this metamorphosis will soon follow.

Month 9, Day 15: Dad's Magic Touch, Part II

You may remember a picture from March, where Max conked out right when Dad picked him up. It's been a long while since Max fell asleep in Dad's arms (Dad is just too exciting). But that changed tonight. Max woke up not long after he was put in his crib, and Dad was just about to give him some Orajel to help with Tooth Number Five. Max instantly fell back asleep when he hit Dad's shoulder. They camped out on the bed for a while... just Dad and Max.

Month 9, Day 14: First "Sick" Visit to the Doc & First Ear Infection

Oh, poor Max. After a rough night waking up every hour (something Mom thought was related to Tooth Number Five coming in), he went off to daycare in relatively high spirits. But daycare notified us around 2.30 pm that he was running a fever and needed to be picked up. We got in to see the pediatrician just before the office closed for the night - Max had a fever of 102 and his first ear infection. He was very unhappy with the examination and let the entire office know. But after a doctor's dose of Tylenol, he was almost his normal happy self at the pharmacy. He's now on a 10-day course of antibiotics and should be feeling much better by Sunday. Sleep well, dear Max.

Month 9, Day 10: First Fever

It sounded like a good day at daycare... the ladies reported that Max stood up on his own (a first!), and he apparently had taken his formula (truth be told, Mom snuck in some strawberry flavoring as a bribe). But the good times weren't meant to last. Max was crying before Dad brought him home tonight. And he just wouldn't stop crying. It was unusual and disturbing to see our little guy who is usually happy (and if unhappy, is usually easy to pacify) so clearly uncomfortable. Dad didn't even flinch when Mom suggested taking Max's temperature the old-fashioned way.

He had a temperature of 100.4. Dad put him in the bath to calm him down, while Mom ran to Safeway to get some baby Tylenol. The bath ended before Mom returned, and Dad propped Max on our bed, in front of the TV to keep him from getting too worked up again. Even in his legarthic condition, he wouldn't let go of his bath toys (you can see his red devil ducky in his right hand). Some Tylenol and a half hour later, Max was out (although, even an hour later, we're still hearing his whimpers in his sleep). We're all hoping for a quiet night and quick recovery (for both Max and Mom - she hasn't been 100% since Friday).

Month 9, Day 8: Beep Beep! Max on the Move!

Perhaps it was his competitve nature (inherited from Mom and Dad), or perhaps it was about time! After seeing other babies cruise around recently, Max finally learned how to get over his fat leg and "crawl" forward! Today, we witnessed Max make his way across the floor in a gimp-like fashion, not quite using both legs, but still closer to a "real" crawl than any of his prior attempts. We've been told over and over that things will change quickly around the household with a mobile baby. Maybe Dad will actually learn to pick up his stuff around here - Mom can only dream.

Our little quarterback: The weather has turned cooler, so Max donned his football outfit, a baby gift from Josh and Cynthia. He has the uniform, he has the skills (look at that arm!) - he just needs the ball.

Max is having a hard time figuring out that a xylophone is not a wind instrument.

Month 9, Day 4: The Incredibly Growing Max

Max went in for his 9-month check-up today, and he is still well-above average (including the "looks" department).

Weight: 22 lbs, 14 oz (85th percentile)

Length: 29 inches (75th percentile)

Head circumference: 18 5/8 inches (95th percentile)

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He had another round of shots, including the flu vaccination. And he came out with Snoopy band-aids on his two boo-boos (one on each fat thigh).

The above band-aid came off during his floor maneuvers, and he found it a bit fascinating (and as usual, tried to eat it).

We've also introduced the "lil crunchie" - which is similar to a cheese puff. Mom gave him a few, but they disappeared so quickly that she thought he was dropping them. But she could never find any tell-tale crumbs. So like a nature documentary, she attempted to capture the act on film. The lil' crunchie never stood a chance against the mighty Max.

Crunch....

Another crunch....Gobble!

All gone! Burp!

Month 9, Day 3: No Work Max

Max had to remind Mom that today was Labor Day, which meant no work (and in his opinion, that included folding laundry).

At Target the other day, we got a good bargain on the last of their babies. $2.59 sounds like a good price, but they get you with the add-ons.

We then took our new baby for a wagon ride... (really, we're not trying to mimic Jack, but we couldn't resist. Sunscreen lotion is actually not bad for hair gel! You may have noticed the usual suspects in these pictures.. Max has a partner in crime, his beloved red devil ducky)

Month 9, Day 2: High Tech Baby

Max is on the cutting edge of baby technology. He had his own email within days of birth, followed by his own blog site. Tonight, Max had his first video conference call.* All this before he is even a year old! Below, Max is showing off some of his toys to Grandma California (Mac) and Papa & Mama Missouri (PC).

Below, Dad is holding up a little puff to the cameras so that the grandparents can see it before it disappears in Max's tummy. Yummy!

* For the record, Max had his first ever video call on August 9. Tonight was his first video call involving more than two callers.

Month 9: Time Flies

Wow - Max is nine months old today! Some days, he looks like a big baby; others, he looks like a little boy. Sporting four teeth, but still just incoherent vocalizing. Loving to stand up, but still not crawling. But one thing is for sure, he's growing up.

"Two-Duck Max" - he's a lean, mean, duck-eating machine.