Max had two birthday parties this year...one in Cleveland and one here at home. Fun, fun, fun, but we are all glad the parties are over until next year. Now mommy has a gazillian thank-you notes to write. The nice thing is they will all be sincere, as so many people were very generous with their gifts, time and sentiments.
Special thanks and love to Auntie Allison and the Cleveland Casa, as well as my mom and Godmudder Stephanie.
Showing posts with label Max. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Max. Show all posts
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
One Year
Today, at 3:31 a.m., begins my baby boy's first birthday.
Words cannot describe the feelings I have remembering the moment he was born nor the past 12 months of adventure with him. All I can say is he is my pride, joy and daily reminder that there is a God and he is good.
May you all be as blessed as we are.
Then...
Now!!
Words cannot describe the feelings I have remembering the moment he was born nor the past 12 months of adventure with him. All I can say is he is my pride, joy and daily reminder that there is a God and he is good.
May you all be as blessed as we are.
Then...
Now!!
Friday, June 29, 2007
Other library mishaps
I mentioned in the "emergency" post about other library incidents that have put Max and I on a particular librarian's Watch List.
First, let me say that our library has an entire wing dedicated to little kids -- this is not the NY Public Library in all of is austerity. There is a puppet show theater, animal-print rubber mats for story time, kid-level book bins, stuffed toys, etc. Second, there are two kid-area librarians: the nice older lady (who has children of her own) and the young bitchy zealot (obviously, no kids). The older lady is patient, loves the little ones, doesn't mind if they crawl around during the stories, sits on the floor with them, etc. The young one insists on kids IN LAPS during stories, sits on a chair above them, tells parents to leave the room if their child fusses, etc. I think you get the picture.
I've tried to schedule our library visits around when the older lady is working, but they seem to have random story time duties.
Anyhoo, the first incident involved me taking a few digital pictures with my camera during story time (holding the camera at arm's length, taking pix of Max clapping to a song while sitting on my lap). She (the young zealot) stopped the song and asked me to stop taking pictures. "Sure, no problem," I said. Afterwards, she tracked me down in the library to let me know there were federal privacy laws governing taking photographs on library property. I've never heard of such, but if it's true (anybody out there know about this?) I'm cool with it. However, there is no sign anywhere saying that photography is not allowed in the library.
The second incident, which is so much less forgivable, involved Max directly. He was watching some older kids doing a puppet show (with me sitting two feet away) and got overly excited, flipping himself over backwards and hitting his head on the floor. He started crying...I picked him up and started walking out of the library to calm him down. As I walked by the librarian desk (in the KIDS area), the young librarian shushed us and said "quiet in the library!" Rrrright. For the rest of day, I hoped some little kid would throw up on her shoes.
I'm thinking the "adult non-fiction" stacks might be a better fit for her. Ya think?
First, let me say that our library has an entire wing dedicated to little kids -- this is not the NY Public Library in all of is austerity. There is a puppet show theater, animal-print rubber mats for story time, kid-level book bins, stuffed toys, etc. Second, there are two kid-area librarians: the nice older lady (who has children of her own) and the young bitchy zealot (obviously, no kids). The older lady is patient, loves the little ones, doesn't mind if they crawl around during the stories, sits on the floor with them, etc. The young one insists on kids IN LAPS during stories, sits on a chair above them, tells parents to leave the room if their child fusses, etc. I think you get the picture.
I've tried to schedule our library visits around when the older lady is working, but they seem to have random story time duties.
Anyhoo, the first incident involved me taking a few digital pictures with my camera during story time (holding the camera at arm's length, taking pix of Max clapping to a song while sitting on my lap). She (the young zealot) stopped the song and asked me to stop taking pictures. "Sure, no problem," I said. Afterwards, she tracked me down in the library to let me know there were federal privacy laws governing taking photographs on library property. I've never heard of such, but if it's true (anybody out there know about this?) I'm cool with it. However, there is no sign anywhere saying that photography is not allowed in the library.
The second incident, which is so much less forgivable, involved Max directly. He was watching some older kids doing a puppet show (with me sitting two feet away) and got overly excited, flipping himself over backwards and hitting his head on the floor. He started crying...I picked him up and started walking out of the library to calm him down. As I walked by the librarian desk (in the KIDS area), the young librarian shushed us and said "quiet in the library!" Rrrright. For the rest of day, I hoped some little kid would throw up on her shoes.
I'm thinking the "adult non-fiction" stacks might be a better fit for her. Ya think?
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
What is your emergency?
Max likes to play with the phones. Today, while at the library lap-sit story time, I let him play with my cell phone (keypad locked) to keep him quiet through a rather dull book. Just as the librarian (who doesn't like us to begin with, but that's another story) was moving on to "Is Your Mamma a Lama?", I heard coming from my phone "Longmont 911, what is your emergency?"
Startled, I quickly grabbed the phone and hung up. As you would expect, the 911 operator called back immediately: "This cell phone just called 911, is there an emergency?" So, disrupting story time and drawing the librarian's very librarian-y disapproving look, I said I was very sorry for the call, "there is no emergency here other than having a one-year-old," and again, sorry, sorry, sorry!
The other moms laughed (not so much the librarian), then I got a talking to by the 911 operator about letting children play with phones. Apparently, there is a security feature on cell phones that if you press the "call" key long enough, even if the keypad is locked, the phone dials 911. Um, good to know.
I think we'll skip story time for a while. One more incident and we'll get banned for life...or maybe just until Max is in kindergarten.
Startled, I quickly grabbed the phone and hung up. As you would expect, the 911 operator called back immediately: "This cell phone just called 911, is there an emergency?" So, disrupting story time and drawing the librarian's very librarian-y disapproving look, I said I was very sorry for the call, "there is no emergency here other than having a one-year-old," and again, sorry, sorry, sorry!
The other moms laughed (not so much the librarian), then I got a talking to by the 911 operator about letting children play with phones. Apparently, there is a security feature on cell phones that if you press the "call" key long enough, even if the keypad is locked, the phone dials 911. Um, good to know.
I think we'll skip story time for a while. One more incident and we'll get banned for life...or maybe just until Max is in kindergarten.
Monday, June 25, 2007
June photos
With Godmudder Stephanie
Stylin' with diaper
Trying to survive the hammock...notice the clinched fists.
Walking with music machine.
Cooling off in the back yard. It has been in the upper 90s for the last week.
Monday, June 18, 2007
First steps
On Father's Day of all days, Max took his first on-his-own steps. We were at my cousin's BBQ in the backyard, and mainly to keep from having to crawl and touch the (still yucky and weird-feeling) grass, he walked three solid steps from Grandma to me with his dad watching. Then, to prove it wasn't just a lucky balancing act, we made him do it again. We were all SO EXCITED. It was the coolest thing ever. The entire BBQ contingent celebrated the event with us...everyone cheered and clapped. With that, Max decided clapping was much more fun than walking, and that was the end of walking for the afternoon.
Bearing witness to his life has, is and will be a constant source of wonder and astonishment for me and his father. He is the greatest blessing of our lives.
Bearing witness to his life has, is and will be a constant source of wonder and astonishment for me and his father. He is the greatest blessing of our lives.
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Falling, walking, swimming
I've been emailing with a friend and realized I should post some of the news we've been discussing. Here're some latest Casa Herrera tidbits...
Max fell down on the cement patio last week and cracked his head so hard he had a goose egg on the back of his head. Watching him do it was like a slow motion movie -- I can still see his noggin bouncing off the cement like a ball. The dull thud was sickening. It was his first real "injury" and he did one of those no-sound hold-your-breath screams (followed by actual screaming) for several minutes. It was kinda traumatic for all three of us -- but, he made it through and now is more careful about jetting around the patio.
However, the side-effect for me is everytime he takes a tumble now I gasp out loud and flinch. I'm trying not to do this.
Max has a "walker" thing that he can push around while he walks behind. When I want to really tire him out so he will take a good (hopefully extra long) nap, I make him walk with his walker all the way to the mailbox, which is about 1/3 block away. He thinks it is really fun, plus he is exhausted by the time we get home. Another tire-out activity is learning to climb up and down the stairs safely. I make him go all the way up (1st floor to 2nd floor), then back down facing the stairs. Down is not as fun.
Also, his first swim lesson was last Sunday. It is going to be a father-son activity for a couple of reasons. 1) I don't like the water much (it would be fine, except for the getting wet part) 2) daddy loves the water 3) Max and daddy have a great time doing it 4) I don't want to have to dunk him under water.
Max fell down on the cement patio last week and cracked his head so hard he had a goose egg on the back of his head. Watching him do it was like a slow motion movie -- I can still see his noggin bouncing off the cement like a ball. The dull thud was sickening. It was his first real "injury" and he did one of those no-sound hold-your-breath screams (followed by actual screaming) for several minutes. It was kinda traumatic for all three of us -- but, he made it through and now is more careful about jetting around the patio.
However, the side-effect for me is everytime he takes a tumble now I gasp out loud and flinch. I'm trying not to do this.
Max has a "walker" thing that he can push around while he walks behind. When I want to really tire him out so he will take a good (hopefully extra long) nap, I make him walk with his walker all the way to the mailbox, which is about 1/3 block away. He thinks it is really fun, plus he is exhausted by the time we get home. Another tire-out activity is learning to climb up and down the stairs safely. I make him go all the way up (1st floor to 2nd floor), then back down facing the stairs. Down is not as fun.
Also, his first swim lesson was last Sunday. It is going to be a father-son activity for a couple of reasons. 1) I don't like the water much (it would be fine, except for the getting wet part) 2) daddy loves the water 3) Max and daddy have a great time doing it 4) I don't want to have to dunk him under water.
Friday, May 25, 2007
Friday, May 18, 2007
El noche
Some of the most tender moments I share with my son are in the middle of the night.
Usually (and thankfully), Max is a great sleeper and makes it through the night on his own. Occassionally, he will wake up but soothe himself back to sleep after several minutes. Rarely, as was the case last night, he will wake up and need parental intervention to go back to sleep. Whatever was going on in his little head, all he wanted was to be held and rocked for a while to make it all better. I obliged and, though it was 2 a.m., those were the most serene and affirming 20 minutes of our day.
One of the most blessed and inspiring lessons I have learned from motherhood is the joy and satisfaction that comes of bringing peace and comfort to another human being.
Usually (and thankfully), Max is a great sleeper and makes it through the night on his own. Occassionally, he will wake up but soothe himself back to sleep after several minutes. Rarely, as was the case last night, he will wake up and need parental intervention to go back to sleep. Whatever was going on in his little head, all he wanted was to be held and rocked for a while to make it all better. I obliged and, though it was 2 a.m., those were the most serene and affirming 20 minutes of our day.
One of the most blessed and inspiring lessons I have learned from motherhood is the joy and satisfaction that comes of bringing peace and comfort to another human being.
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Happy Mother's Day!
Open-mouth guppy kisses on my face. Dirt between his little toes. Sticky fingers. Wrassling him into a clean diaper and a change of clothes. Waving bye-bye. Together, watching the leafy shadows dance on the grass under the tree. Chubby baby boy legs. His "I'm so tired" sigh, even as he chases a ball down the hallway. Stroking and patting my face while nursing. Maammaaammaaa, daadaaadaaa. Love.
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