We Are Busy Lil' Nemos...

Too Busy

I'm busy, busy, dreadfully busy

You've no idea what I have to do.

Busy, busy, shockingly busy

Much, much too busy for you.

Oh, I see.

We're busy, busy, dreadfully busy

You've no idea what we have to do.

Busy, busy, shockingly busy

Much, much too busy for you.

'Cause we're busy, busy, frightfully busy

More than a bumblebee, more than an ant.

Busy, busy, horribly busy

We'd love to help, but we can't!

Ta ta!

~ Veggie Tales

So it is that time of year, that time where everything blows up and hits you at once. I am enjoying the season more than I ever have (in my adult life). Max is at the best age, I am learning a new trade, we are getting ready to celebrate Thanksgiving, Sterling's first birthday, Christmas with the boys, and New Years (which is the day that my family celebrates Christmas...I will explain this tradition in a later post).

I am excited for what 2010 is going to bring, and life is just so good. But it is extremely busy. I never knew how busy we would actually be, what with a 7 month-old, trying to work as much as possible, and not having Nate around at night. But I am loving every minute of it. Sure, the house isn't clean, the laundry is piling up, the dishes need to be done, but we are having fun, and all that stuff can wait. Besides, the dishes and the laundry aren't going anywhere!

So here's what is new in the Nemo household: Max got his first tooth, now his second. I bought a new fancy schmancy camera (too bad it is being shipped to the wrong address and I have to intercept it before it gets returned, but what's life without a little drama?), I finally got my tax refund and my Economic Stimulus check (from 2 years ago) which is a nice surprise, Max is trying to crawl, and Nate got offered a better position at his current job, with predictable hours.

Let's get back to my camera though, shall we?! My camera is a Nikon d60 and I have been drooling over it for years. I don't need more than what it offers, because I never intend on going pro. I just want a nice camera that I can use to take great photos of my family, and maybe use to take stills for my business. I am so excited to have a good camera for the holidays. I wish it was coming before Thanksgiving, and Sterling's birthday, but Brendan has a fancy camera and he can take enough pictures of Sterling and Max to share with me!

We have a bunch of other great stuff planned. Thanks to a friend, we are going to go on the Santa Train, Max is going to his first Christmas party, and we are going to take pictures with Santa. The next few weeks are so busy, and we are going to have so much fun, that I am afraid my poor little blog will be even more neglected. I just have to make a pact that I will post at least 3 times per week, that way, I will actually write. So here are just a few pictures from the last few days:

Max's teeth: Aren't they glorious??

Max got his second lower incisor. He was none too thrilled with this development, and he let us all know it. Loudly. I hope that those two top ones come in quickly, because I am running out of endurance.

The young prince is also trying to master that huge milestone known as crawling. And as exciting as this milestone will be, I fear I have not fully prepared for it, both mentally and spiritually. I need to purchase some baby proofing equipment, STAT! In the first shot of this series, the young prince is posing, mugging for the camera if you will. I think that he has figured out what mommy is doing with that flashy contraption.

In the second picture, he is showing the world just how far up he can go on his arms.

 In the third shot, he is doing the crash landing. He loves this manouver, and does it quite frequently, during his daily floor endeavours. And in the last picture, he has managed to scoot up to his favorite toy, only to throw it across the room seconds later, in a frusterated fit of rage. I think he has his mommy's temper. His daddy rarely gets mad. Poor baby. I was hoping he would be more mild mannered.

I do it all for the love of a little man!

It's been a hard day's night

and I've been working like a dog.

It's been a hard day's night,

I should be sleeping like a log.

But when I get home to you,

I find the things that you do,

Will make me feel alright.

You know I work all day,

to get you money to buy you things.

And it's worth it just to hear you say,

You're gonna give me everything.

So why one Earth should I moan,

Cause when I get you alone,

You make me feel okay.

Hard Day's Night~The Beatles

I do it all for the love of a little man!

This working at home, and being a full-time stay at home mom business is some seriously hard work! Who would have thunk it? I am simultaneously trying to keep a house in order (but failing on that front), working 30 hours a week, and keeping an increasingly curious (and almost mobile) baby entertained. This is some serious business we're talking about, and mommy is TIRED!

I think I am able to get most of my tasks accomplished because I am not sleeping (adding hours to the day, but taking years off my life). I got to bed sometime around midnight. This is due to the flawed mommy logic that the baby, who still isn't sleeping through the night by the way, will be waking up around that time and will be demanding food. After the baby is fed and placed neatly back into his crib, I bathe. This is my "me all to myself" time. Once that bath is done, I hobble into bed to catch maybe three hours of sleep, and then it's time to feed the baby again. We repeat this a couple more times, before I have to get up for good. I had been getting up at 7:00, with Mr. Max, and letting Nate catch a few extra z's. But lately, I haven't been feeling well. So instead of waking up at 7:00, I have been handing the baby off to Nate, and then going back to bed until 9:00 or so.

Once I have awoken, eaten some breakfast, and had my coffee, I spend the next four or five hours on the computer, diligently trying to learn the skill of technical editing. It is a lot more fun than I thought it would be, but very complicated and frustrating. I force myself to stay focused, most days, because this is the path that allows me the freedom to stay home. I do it all for the love of a little man. But it is hard, and I am tired. I know it will get better, easier, more fun. I know it will give us the opportunity to move up in the world, but I am tired.

Oh well. I do it all for the love of a little man, and I am happy to do it (even if it means I don't sleep until he is out of the house).

He's 7 Months-Old, Already??

Time it was I had a dream,

And you're that dream come true.

And if I had the world to give,

I'd give it all to you.

I'll show you how this life became

A miracle to me.

You'll fly away,

But take my hand until that day,

So when they ask how far love goes,

When my job's done, you'll be the one who knows.

All the things you treasure most,

Will be the hardest won.

I will watch you struggle on

'For the answers will come.

But I won't make it harder;

I'll be there to cheer you on.

I'll shine the light that guides you down

The road you're walking on.

You'll fly away,

But take my hand until that day,

So when they ask how far love goes,

When my job's done,

You'll be the one who knows.

Before the mountains call to you,

Before you leave this home,

I will teach your heart to trust

As I teach my own.

But sometiems I will ask the moon

Where it shined upon you last,

And shake my head and laugh and say

'It all went by so fast.'

You'll fly away,

But take my hand until that day,

So when they ask how far love goes,

When my job's done,

You'll be the one who knows.

The One Who Knows~Dar Williams

We're Sick ~ Boo!!

Alas, my nose doth run and run

I've blown and blown it continuously

My handkerchief has been wrung, and wrung

Disintegrating, and that's why you see

Chorus:Greensleeves 'cause I can't avoid

Greensleeves had my shirt of white

Greensleeves makes 'em all go "Ewww" 'cuz

My nasal mucus drips on greensleeves.

~Henry VIII (Allegedly)

The dreaded crud has invaded the Nemo household. Mama and baby fish are laid up with fevers and runny noses. Only Daddy fish has escaped the wrath of the dreaded first cold of the season. It stinks!

Maximus was really fussy last night. I thought it was because I had not answered the young master's wails of hunger in a timely enough fashion. I tried to feed the little prince, but by that time, he was already inconsolable. He was crying the ugly cry. You know, the kind that nothing short of a promise of a pony and all the candy in the world can cure. The kind that once it finally ceases, still takes ten minutes of snorting and sniffling to finally be worked out of their little systems. I hate the ugly cry. It's annoying, it's loud, and it makes me feel like a bad mommy! It really made me feel like a bad mommy when I put my cold symptom-free child down for bed, only for him to arise with a cough and a runny nose that would put the leak in the Titanic to shame. My poor tot was trying to tell his mama that something was coming on, but how was I to know. I tell ya, that child better learn some English quick!!

To make matters worse, Max decided to share the gift that keeps on giving. Tons of snuggles, kisses, and eat tha mamas later and I am also sick. Poop. The only thing that makes this whole experience of Mama being sick and taking care of a sick baby easier is that I have a very happy sick baby! He was all full of smiles and snot filled giggles. He is one cute sicko!! And, at least it's just a cold, not Hamthrax, Porky's Revenge, Swine Flu.

Kodachrome

Kodachrome
They gives us those nice bright colors
They give us the greens of summers
Makes you think all the world's a sunny day, Oh yeah
I got a Nikon camera
I love to take a photograph
So Mama don't take my kodachrome away!
~Paul Simon

My friend Justine is a very talented photographer. We have had the privilage of working with Justine since she started her photography business. She took our amazing family pictures (at the EMP, downtown Seattle), and more recently, she took Max's 6 month photos. Since Max turned 6 months in October, I thought it would be perfect to take pictures of him outdoors, amongst the leaves or pumpkins. We met Justine at a pumpkin patch in Fall City. The cuteness below is a result of Justine's eye, and Mommy's idea of putting a pumpkin in the pumpkin patch. I love them all!!

Where has the time gone??

Out on the ocean, sailing away I can hardly wait

To see you come of age

But I guess we'll both just have to be patient

Cause it's a long way to go,

A hard row to hoe

Yes it's a long way to go,

But in the meantime...

Before you cross the street,

Take my hand,

Life is just what happens to you while you're busy making other plans...

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, beautiful Boy(Beautiful boy),

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, beautiful Boy...

Beautiful Boy ~ John Lennon

I have been remiss lately. I have neglected my duty as a blogger. For that, I am deeply sorry. Sorry that it is in fact life that has gotten in the way of me writing about life. Or Max's life, that is. We have been extremely busy the last month. Here's what kept me away:

1. Work-related training
2. Max turned 6 months-old on October 11th.
3. We went to his 6 month Well-baby visit on October 12th. (He had 4 shots, poor baby!)
4. We moved out of our Apartment, to a little house. Well, we haven't completely moved yet. We paid for the whole month, so we are taking it slowly.
5. I had a few mommy and me playdates.
6. We did Max's 6 month Photo shoot, at the pumpkin patch.
7. And we have been very sleep deprived lately. Something big better come out of this!

Life has been a lot crazier than it reads. We have been go, go, go for weeks now. But enough about me being a slacker. You came to read about our lives. So here goes.

Max is sitting up now. All the time. Unassisted. He never falls over anymore, probably becausee he had a couple good falls onto the hard floor. He loves to sit up and prefers to be propped up, wherever he is. He loves to sit on the couch like a big boy, next to mommy and daddy. We have to be careful with this arrangement though because he rolled off a chair not to long ago. This event scared the living daylights out of his mom and dad, but didn't seem to phase the boy much. He even sits up well enough to take baths like a big boy. He loves the big boy tubby, as long as mommy fills it with lots of bubbles and all of his favorite bath toys.

We have moved onto stage 2 foods. He has tried pureed chicken, apple/bluberries, and Macaroni and Cheese. So far, the Mac and Chee is his favorite. He has very discriminating taste and only eats Gerber purees, nutrition be damned! He snubs the organic Earth's Best purees that his mommy spent double the price on. I guess they don't have enough flavor for his highness. Luckily, his cousin Sterling loves Earth's Best, so they won't go to waste. I could also donate them to a food bank, couldn't I?!

He is trying desperately hard to crawl. He can actually scoot now, backwards, and turn in a circle. We will often find him sleeping in the opposite direction we put him down in. The other day, I found him under the chair. He had scooted off his blanket, and landed underneath the chair. I have since learned that it probably isn't a good idea to leave the room with an unattended babe.

He has a temper...ooohhh Nelly. Don't take a toy away from that child, unless you mean it! His personality is shining through more and more everyday. He giggles, squeals with delight (and frustration/anger), coos, and smiles brightly. He is very handsy and grabs everything that isn't nailed down. And what Maxwell grabs, Maxwell eats. Everything that he gets his little paws on, ends up in his mouth, covered in slobber. He is also talking more and more, everyday. He says "ca ca," "ahh-goo," "gung-gung," "bwooo," "gaa," and makes various grunting sounds.

Life is good. Life is great. Life is better than it has ever been! Can't wait to see what this little man has in store for us next! Stay tuned.

The above two shots are my favorites (so far) from Max's 6 month photo shoot with Justine Shelton. http://jsheltonphotography.blogspot.com/

This is my favorite photo from Max's month shots. Onesie stickers can be found at: http://www.pickysticky.com/

I Love Me This Little Boy!!

I See the Moon

I see the moon and the moon sees me

And the moon sees the one that I long to see.

So God bless the moon and God bless me

And God bless the one that I long to see.

It seems to me that God above

Created you for me to love.

He picked you out of all the rest

Because he knew I loved you the best.

I once had a heart called mine you see,

But now it's gone to you from me.

So take good care as I have done

For you have two and I have none.

I see the moon and the moon sees me

And the moon sees the one that Iong to see.

So God bless the moon and God bless me

And God bless the one that I long to see.

~Greg Brown

I have been so busy, loving this little boy, that I have not written in a long time. So here is what my Maxipotimus can do now. Enjoy.

(Sorry the video is sideways)