Wednesday, December 07, 2005

More Max Media


Max with his Mama and his Daddy

The better to see you with, my dear.

Max with Mama and Granny

Max with his Auntie Sarah

Max expresses his opinion of any activity that interferes with his feeding time.







We are all very excited this week by the much-anticipated arrival of Max's cousin, Joey Brooks. Joey was born on Saturday, December third, about a week after his due date. Although Max and Joey were due only four weeks apart, they each had their own ideas about timing, and are closer to three months apart. They are still close enough in age, however, to make travel for both sets of parents difficult, which means that Max and Joey have yet to meet. We can hardly wait to see our new nephew!
Max continues to be a delight to his parents, grandparents, and anyone whose life he happens to touch. I feel, as a totally objective observer, that he is among the smarter, kindlier, and more attractive people that the world will ever know. We are so happy that our family has grown by two such fantastic members!

Friday, December 02, 2005

Max happy again!
















Well, Max's cranky spell has ended, and he is back to his usual amiable self. It turned out ( and decency forbids me from telling you how I know this) that Max was working out some digestive issues. He resolved these issues early this morning, and is feeling refreshed and considerably lighter in both body and spirit.
As a result of this excorcism, however, Max needed a bath, which he is usually opposed to. He bore it with good grace, as you can see, and is now so snuggly and sweet-smelling that it's ridiculous. Hopefully, those of you that reacted anxiously to news of his crankiness can now be at peace, knowing that Max is safe and happy once again!

Max's Crabby Day





So far, Max has proven himself to be a patient, calm, and generally delightful addition to the family, kicking up a fuss only when hungry or very lonely ( if a mean-spirited and thoughtless parent should attempt to put him in his bed when he is in a sociable frame of mind). Pushed over the edge by an overabundance of Christmas Tree posing, however, Max is currently in the middle of his first inexplicable cranky fit. He is not hungry, he is not wet, he does not wish to cuddle, nor is he interested in playing. Ian is trying to soothe him with the age-old cure of some Otis Redding and slow-dancing. It seems to be working. I suspect that Max wants us to be grateful for his usual sunny disposition, and is giving us a taste of the crab for contrast. I, for one, get the point.

Tuesday, November 29, 2005

Max's First Christmas Tree

So we have begun our first holiday season as a family of three (three humans . . . Edgar cat was looking at me reproachfully). We spent thanksgiving with various relatives, eating Mexican food and discussing the infinite cuteness of our son. It doesn't sound like that should take an entire day, but you've seen the pictures, so you know that there's a lot of cuteness to cover.

This first picture is of Max and his mama on Thanksgiving Day. Max likes to eat fingers. He can clamp down surprisingly hard and painfully, for a man with no teeth. (Editors note...Chelsa knows this for a fact...from personal experience)


We are hoping to arrange a marriage between Max and young Julia, seen here with her mom to the left. This was their first dinner date. They both ordered the bottle of milk, and seemed to enjoy themselves.

We made Max go with us to pick out the Christmas tree, in spite of his almost total indifference to Christmas or decorative trees. He was somewhat reluctant to leave his warm house, and to abandon his breastfeeding/being adorable plan for the day. He was a pretty good sport for the festivities, however.

(Editors Note:This post was written by Chelsa this time...not Ian...let's encourage Chelsa to post more, as she has the english degree and can use correct grammar and such)

Monday, November 21, 2005

Max Being Cute Yet Again

Okay, so these are some pictures Chelsa took yesterday whilst I toiled in mattress land.

Behold:

Okay, so this is Max in between sleeping and getting tasty milk.
This is Max with new grey shirt and matching overalls. Couture by baby gap.
Just look at the sincerity here. He can already fake sincerity at a fifth grade level!
This is a new skill Max is exploring. Thats right...on rare occasions Max smiles. Now you have to admit it's pretty cool.



I have the day off tomorrow...and Max has a doctor's appointment...for a shot! Chelsa is a little worried about it...but I do not question my son's toughness. Then it's an evening with the Lindsays...see blog link to the side. Then one day of work...then sweet sweet thanksgiving. More tomorrow.

Ian (Dad)

Saturday, November 19, 2005

Max at the Store

Okay, you have waited. You have checked the page twice a day. You have written me emails demanding new pictures. The wait has been worth it.

So stuff this week. We had a new roof put on our little duplex. There was some Tar. Chelsa found the sound of the roofing and the smell of the tar to be annoying, so she came and visited me at work. So I thought to myself "Does Max like premium bedding?". Turns out that yes, yes he does. And I have proof!

Okay, so this first one is a Chatham and Wells. Handmade, with fabric from Belgium...msrp $6999.95. And yes, it is to Max's liking. But you don't have to take my word for it...

See, look how peaceful. Yes, only the finest cashmere will do for Max's refined taste. Fine mattresses and delicious breast milk make the world go round.

Of course Max is a fan of the Swedish Adjustable Deluxe Tempurpedic mattress. And he really should like it...it retails for $6399.99.

And the best for last. When you deserve the best, what can possibly beat the comfort of the "Winnie the Pooh" brand baby carseat? The question is of course, rhetorical. Ask about King Size!



So I hope that was worth waiting for. The roofers are now gone, and Chelsa can be happy at home again. Now its time to get ready for Thanksgiving...the tastiest holiday. Until next time...

Ian

Thursday, November 10, 2005

Max petting Cat


Man, I don't post nearly as much as should. But this was just too cute. Anyway, life is good. Max is sleeping over five hours at a time now (how cool is that), and I have a real day off tomorrow. Well, we have a wedding to go to, but other then that the day is mine. Imagine, a morning with just my wife, my son, and my Italian espresso maker. What could be better? I can't even wait. Plus, Thanksgiving, the best holiday, is coming. Man I love that day. The feeding, the sharing alcohol with family.

Plus Christmas after that. I will have a kid to give cool presents to! Anyway that's the haps these days. I will do my best to keep everyone more informed.

Saturday, October 29, 2005

Max's Halloween Costume

Okay, so here are some Max Halloween costumes...one from my mom (pumpkin costume) and one customized by Chelsa's Mom (Wolf suit...of course). So yes, we have Max in his wolf suit. Anyway, those who are sensitive to cuteness should probably see another site.

Other news. Max now weighs 9 pounds 7 ounces. He looks around a lot and recognizes several people. He just barfed lots on a really nice shirt (Don't worry buddy, I still love ya), and can make a really loud sound when he is hungry.

Chelsa is loving the whole stay at home mom thing. I work too much, but other than that, life is good. I will try to post more, even more powerful pictures of Max on Halloween. Until then, enjoy.

Oh yeah, I put a really cute one of Chelsa and Max in for no reason other then their inherent goodness.





Saturday, October 22, 2005

More New Max Pics



Here are a couple of new Max pics from today. Just want to make sure everyone gets their fill. These are from tonight's Max bath. Enjoy, all. Now, we sleep.

Wednesday, October 19, 2005

More Max Pics















Here are a few new really cute Max pics. Lets see where we are at as far as new info goes. He eats lots, his hobbies include sleeping and pooping, his hair seems to be turning red...

Other stuff. Chelsa is doing the best job ever. My parents and Chelsa's parents have been helping out by bringing us food, holding Max, ect. Max has become so adorable its overpowering. Also new is his powerful, powerful cry. Max can pierce any eardrum with his wail, should he desire. But he only cries to demand food, so Chelsa can remedy the problem with much haste. His is lots heavier now, probably 9 pounds or so. He can also now sleep for a maximum of 6 hours. More soon I promise.

Monday, October 03, 2005

Max Bath!

So I had all last week off to hang with Max and the fam. I have to say it was pretty cool. He is getting lots bigger and eating all the time. I have been working on building his neck muscles in the evening. This is called "Tummy Time" by all the books, and it's pretty important to developing a healthy child. I went back to work today, which was a little weird. The importance of other things seem to diminish after seeing so much Max. But Max is big fun to come home to.

Here are the latest Max pictures for your enjoyment.



This is Max's first bath, two minutes ago. He is a little pissed off about it, but still pretty darn cute.



This is Max reaching. Again, note the cuteness. Definitely from Chelsa. And if you think this one is cute, wait till you get to next one. Ready?



That's about the cutest ever.








that's the update. More to come soon. If you have any Max questions, let me know. Until next time...

Wednesday, September 28, 2005

New Max Update!

So as of this writing, Max has been home with us for about one week. Max fills his days with pooping, sleeping, eating and being adorable. Last night, Chelsa and I got some sleep, after Chelsa figured out that Max likes to sleep with the radio on. We theorize that this is because of his week in the nice but rather noisy hospital.

His last little strand of umbilical cord fell out this morning, which was nice...that thing was getting a bit gross. As we speak, he is napping with his mom, giving me a little time to write this post and update everybody.

Other pieces of Max info: He weighs a little over six pounds right now. He doesn't cry much, and he consumes roughly 300 to 400 ml of breast milk a day. Everyday he feels bigger and looks around at stuff more. Now some updated pics.



This is Max last week in his car-seat coming home from Sactown.



This is Max and Granny about a day after he got home.



This is Max and Grandma Tillman yesterday. Note the cute zebra blanket. No zebras were harmed in the making of this blanket.



This is Max and me yesterday.




And this last one is Max and his Mom.






That's it for now, with more to come later! Maybe even a video if you get lucky.

Ian (Dad)

Thursday, September 22, 2005

Even More, um, Latest Max update!

Okay, so I'm at work right now. Chelsa just called and said Max would probably be home tonight! New pics for all soon!

Wednesday, September 21, 2005

Latest Max Update

Okay all, I just heard from Chelsa at the hospital that Max has all his wires and accessories off...Also no jaundice lamp. So it shouldn't be long now... I'm getting my hopes up a little bit I know... But tomorrow would be a nice day to get a baby! More later.

Tuesday, September 20, 2005

Max Update!




Chelsa and I just got back from a day at the hospital and thought you might like an update.

Max is doing great! He is breathing without any thingys in the nose and is eating/drinking lots of Chelsa milk. He still has a little bit of jaundice, but that should go away pretty soon.

Until we get him home, here are the latest Max pics. And yes, he is that cute.

Max





On Friday September 16th at 6:25 a.m. Chelsa and I had a son. This is his story.

Early Thursday morning (early for me anyway) Chelsa's water broke. This was cause for some concern, as the due date we had for Max's birth was more than a month away. Chelsa and I drove to the hospital. Upon arrival, the doctor and nurses decided that it was "pretty unlikely" that Max would be born in the next seventy two hours, but that Chelsa would have to stay for at least a few days for observation. To Chelsa and I, the prospect of a potential week long hospital stay was pretty lame, but we decided to make the best of it. Chelsa reported what she described as "mild cramping", but otherwise she was as comfortable as a woman in a one-sided paper gown could be.

Throughout the day, Chelsa and I watched some movies, we called some people, and we waited. Chelsa was continuing to experience “mild cramping”, but did not think she was having contractions. (I should say at this point that Chelsa is a bit on the stoic side. This will come into play later in the story.) Around 4:00pm or so, our doctor went home, still giving us a “less than fifty percent chance” of delivering in the next seventy-two hours. By six-thirty, Chelsa was describing her cramps becoming "more annoying". The nurse ascribed this to the baby’s head pressing on the cervix without the water cushioning it, and that she should just try to get some rest.

By 3:00am, it became clear to Chelsa and I that her ‘cramps’ were becoming suspiciously stronger and more regular. Chelsa got no sleep. I managed to sleep for about an hour in a chair. At 5:00am, I went on a mission to demand drugs for Chelsa. It is my belief that this started a bit of a tiff between the nurses on staff and the doctor. The nurses returned and said that in order to give Chelsa any pain medication, they would need to do an exam on Chelsa. They had not examined her until this point, because with no amniotic fluid, Chelsa and the baby were more vulnerable to infection. If Chelsa was in labor, this would be fine. If Chelsa was not in labor, then the doctor would be needlessly exposing the baby to infection. It was pretty clear to me that Chelsa was in labor at this point, but the nurses were less certain.

Finally at about 5:30, the nurse examined Chelsa. It took about two seconds for her to say “Well, not only are you in labor, but you’re ready to have a baby right now”. The next 20min was a mad dash to get the Doctor to the hospital. At about 6:00am the doctor showed up in jeans and a polo shirt and said “okay, let’s deliver this baby”. And twenty minutes later, without medication, without profanity or even an unkind word to anyone, Chelsa gave birth to Max. And that minute, 6:25 am on the morning of September 16, 2005, is the best minute of my life.

Oh and the stuff I wrote a couple weeks ago about it being gross, well I just didn’t know. When it’s your baby, it’s not gross at all.

As of this writing, Max is a day and a half old. He weighs five pounds and thirteen ounces. While Chelsa was up and walking around about an hour after giving birth, Max requires a little more time. After holding and playing with Max for a few hours, we had to let the doctors take Max to a larger hospital in Sacramento for roughly one week of observation and growth to make sure he is ready for us. Max is about five weeks early, and while he looks like a baby, he is still a tiny bit premature. Letting them keep Max in Sacramento was one of the most painful things I have ever had to do. It doesn’t feel good to come home from the hospital without my baby. But hopefully by next week he will be with Chelsa and I. I have included some pictures in this posting with more to come. I will post as many items and updates as time allows. Chelsa is staying with him during the day and I am visiting him at night.

Saturday, September 10, 2005

Baby Room





Today, Chelsa and her expert team of painters will be painting the babys room, whilst I toil away at work.