Thanksgiving

Maddox made his first few crawling steps!

Sitting Pretty

I have been working during the past couple weekends so it has been hard to find the time to post. Maddox had his last story time until after the holidays. We'll miss our Monday outing for Book Babies and lunch with Brian. Maddox is sitting up well and saying Da Da. I still think that Da Da and Ma Ma are just fun sounds to make for now. He's very interested in Duncan and shiny door knobs at the moment. He has taken a couple of bottles and is now eating pears and sweet potatoes. A lot of exciting firsts.

He also loves the lights on our friends' Christmas tree. We may put up a string of lights for him at home, but won't be putting up a tree or any major Christmas decorations this year. Brian and I both feel like the walls are closing in because of the clutter!

Trip to Kirksville

Maddox and his Royals outfitBaby shoes- they serve absolutely no purpose, but are oh so cute!

Maddox got another shot at swimming during our trip to Kirksville. He seemed to like it as long as he was snuggled up close. He has the sniffles and passed it along to us, so I'm exhausted. Brian spent most of the week in Texas for work and then Rolla and Kirksville. He's leaving town again tomorrow, but just for the day. We're definitely ready for things to slow down.Maddox and Jayson visiting in JC.

Brian and our friend Tim after attending Evil Dead: The Musical (in the "splatter section") on Halloween night.

The Wild Rumpus

On Friday Maddox had his well-baby check up with vaccinations. He now weighs 14 lbs 15 oz. He's still doing well and growing fast. He now eats rice cereal sometimes (although he gives our friend/babysitter a rough time). Here he is with Kaitlyn.
"Max" the wild thing.
King of the Wild Things... eating his tail.
Snoozing. Being wild is tiring.
Trick-or-treating with his daddy at the library.

Autumn Bliss

Parents as Teachers

Maddox and I met with Parents as Teachers earlier this month. Ms. Carla came out to our place and played with him, observed, and did a little hearing test. He started screaming as soon as he saw her and then warmed up to her quickly. He has been crying at the beginning of visits lately. I thought it seemed like stranger anxiety, which is a normal developmental phase that usually happens closer to 8 or 9 months when the baby is able to move more independently. She said that's what it is- just really early. A lot of things he is doing- tracking objects and sounds, grabbing things with both hands, etc. are milestones expected of slightly older babies. This doesn't mean he's a genius (although, Brian and I think he's brilliant) or even that he's smarter than other babies that don't do things at this same pace. It is fun to see him learn about the world!

I'm watching our friends' six month old girl on Fridays. The two babies are a lot of work, but it's fun for them to interact. Kaitlyn is a sweet little chubby baby, but she can definitely scream!

Nakey Boy

Here are some photos after Maddox's bath. He's a squirmer and kept wanting to roll over. It's so fun to take pictures of him. I have been researching my next camera, a digital SLR which is essentially the digital version of Dad's Canon. It will be so much easier to catch him in some action shots! Maddox has been laughing so much lately. He also reached out for me with both arms, which just melted my heart!