Max at 3 Years Old
I can barely believe our little boy is three years old! He is cautious, sweet, bright, silly and observant. (And occasionally a little monster.) Here’s a snapshot of Max at 3.
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Max at 2 Years Old
In the past 6 months, Max has become a little human and I can hardly believe he is 2 years old. The biggest change since our last update is his ability to communicate. He is constantly picking up new words and phrases and will copy anything we say (both good...
Crazy Cute Sweatshirts for Boys
I don’t know if it’s the change in weather or the sudden realization that Max doesn’t have any fall clothes, but I’ve been on a sweatshirt buying frenzy. Luckily there are so many cute options out there for boys! This year we are taking Max up to Chicago to celebrate...
35 (Very Specific) Things I’ve Learned as a Parent
Being a new parent is intense. It is a time where you experience your highest highs and lowest lows, yet inevitably look back at the experience with nothing but the fondest of memories. Over the last few weeks, I came to the somewhat sad realization that Aaron and I aren’t...
Favorite books for a toddler
It has been so fun watching Max discover books. When there is a particular one he wants us to read he comes running over, waving the book in the air and sits on our lap. Even if we are standing, he still backs his little bottom up against us and...
Our Kid’s First 10 Words
Max’s first 10 words (in this order)
Max at 18 Months
We’ve been saying this a lot lately but the last few months have been the most fun yet. Max has his own sense of humor and loves making Aaron and I laugh with his mischievous smile. He picks up things so quickly, climbs on everything and continues to impress us...
When Parenting Gets Hard - Count the Small Wins
It’s hard to admit that being a new mom is a struggle and that not everyday is sunshine and rainbows. There are some days when it is impossible to put Max down without him launching into hysteria or days when the everyday minutiae (i.e. laundry, grocery shopping, meal prep) sends...
Toddler Summer Wardrobe Essentials
When selecting Max’s summer clothes I looked for pieces that could be easily mixed and matched. I was careful not to go overboard (I have that tendency!) and limited myself to buying about 5 pairs of shorts, 10-12 t-shirts, 3-4 rompers/overalls, 2-3 pairs of shoes. I probably could have gone...
10 Car Activities for Toddlers
We recently took an 8 hour road trip with Max. To entertain him we brought along a couple books, one toy car and an iPad. If you have traveled a lot with a toddler you are probably laughing at our serious lack of toddler entertainment. Needless to say, we spent...
Gear Up for Summer
Memorial Day signifies pool season, which means the unofficial start to summer isn’t far behind. To gear up for the long days lounging pool side, here’s what we’ve been stocking up on.
A Cost Breakdown of Baby’s First Year
Having a child is expensive, but it’s difficult to wrap your head around that until you experience it. Aaron and I have always been thoughtful about our purchases, but one of the best decisions we made was hiring a financial advisor. It’s not that we make tons of money, but...
Adorable Swimwear for Little Dudes
Anyone who has walked through a baby section knows there is no shortage of adorable baby girl clothes. While the options for boys is better than it used to be (or so I’m told!), it can sometimes be a struggle to find cute items for boys. I favor the one-piece...
Things We Considered When Picking a Baby Name
I feel like some women have their kids names picked out in middle school, but I was not one of those women. Deciding on a baby name was hard and it was probably the only baby decision that Aaron and I made ourselves. We didn’t want to bring our friends...
Max at 15 Months
There has been a big shift since Max turned one in which our baby has turned into a little boy. Three months ago he was just starting to walk and now we can barely keep up with him. But more than that, he is coming into his own person and...
First Baby Free Vacation
Parenthood is exhausting, but I’m really proud of the way Aaron and I are raising Max. It’s fair to say that most days we are raising a pretty happy kid. That’s why when Aaron had a work related trip to San Francisco, we jumped at the chance to drop Max...
Quantifying Max’s First Year
The first year with Max went by so quickly, and now we have a toddler. He’s growing up so fast that I want to remember all the details, big and small. It’s funny to think that a year ago Aaron had never changed a diaper and I had only changed...
Quantifying Your Sleep with an Infant
It’s almost impossible to predict how your life is going to change once you have a baby. But one thing that was apparent early on was how hard sleep deprivation was going to be. While Aaron and I vary widely in some interests, we share a similar love of data....
Max at 12 Months
When Max was born we were so focused on making it through the first couple weeks, that, as silly as this sounds, we barely thought about what he would be like as a fully functional human being. But we made it, and at one year old, he is walking, babbling...
Max at 11 Months
I can’t believe this is the last monthly post before Max turns 1! The most exciting news this month is Max took his first solo steps! It happened on a night when I was working late, which broke my heart, but luckily the moment was caught on Dropcam. Max has...
Max at 10 Months
These days it is hard to keep up with Max; he is in perpetual motion. He crawls around at 2 different speeds: leisure, when he is exploring a new space, and turbo, when he spots something he wants and thinks he can get to it before we notice. The turbo...
Max’s First Halloween
I’ve been excited about Max’s first Halloween since I found out I was pregnant. Aaron and I have been brainstorming costume ideas for the last couple months, but ultimately settled on a Lion. Initially, we wanted to dress Max as an Ewok (from Star Wars) and envisioned draping a brown...
Max at 9 months
I’m not an overly sentimental person but I find myself spending a lot of time thinking about the last 9 months with Max. It feels like only yesterday that he was just a tiny, chubby bundle who would happily curl up on my chest. These days he’s just too active...
Costume Ideas for Baby’s First Halloween
/ 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 If you know anything about me, it’s probably that I LOVE chubby babies dressed in animal costumes. And if I could have it my way, I’d dress Max up year round. The...
Max at 8 months
I’m sure this won’t be the last time I say this but I really can’t believe how fast time has gone by and how quickly Max has reached 8 months!
Max at 7 Months
This past month has been a big one: Max has started crawling, pulling himself up to a sitting position and, occasionally, stands himself up. But with mobility comes new responsibility.
Max at 6 months
Everyone says that becoming a parent changes your life - and they’re right. Leaving the house is like running an obstacle course of mental checklists to make sure we have all of Max’s necessities. We spend twice as long to get somewhere and half as much time once we are...
Ms. Anne’s Care Fund
UPDATE: The gofundme campaign ended successfully and as of August 2016 Ms. Anne was able to return to work in the infant room at La Petite. Best of luck, Ms. Anne! We heard some sad news today. Ms. Anne, one of our favorite teacher’s at Max’s daycare, found out her...
Digital Baby Book
Nowadays the idea of a photo album with actual printed photos seems so archaic. It is strange to think our parents had to be selective in the pictures they took because they were limited by the number of exposures on a roll of film.
Max at 5 Months
This past month has been an exciting but busy one. We drove to Chicago for Ashley and Zach’s wedding and then to Maryland for a family reunion. Max didn’t love being in the car for long periods of time but once we were at each destination he was great. Spending...
Max’s Birth Story
Max is almost 5 months old and some of the details from his first few days are already starting to get hazy. I wanted to document his birth story before the memories get even more distant.
Max at 4 Months
There have certainly been times in the past 4 months that Aaron and I have been on the brink of exhaustion. Thankfully, those moments are becoming fewer and farther between. Overall, I think we are doing a pretty good job of finding a balance that works for us.
Max at 3 Months
Max’s third month has been the best one yet: he’s sleeping for 5–6 hour stretches at night, he smiles in response to things other than (or in addition to) passing gas and a little more of his personality is emerging everyday.
Baby’s First Easter Basket
This week has had its ups and downs. Max was sick for the first time. At one point last night he was so congested and upset that Aaron and I were overwhelmed with how to make him feel better. And just like that, this morning Max woke up as a...
Max at 2 Months
It’s hard to believe Max is 2 months old today. One of the first things we learned after Max was born is that infants are unpredictable. Aaron and I have always kept a pretty consistent daily routine, but now that we’re caring for a newborn, consistency is a thing of...
Two Month Must Haves
Last month, I wrote about my first week must-haves for having a new infant. Since that post, I have modified that list as our routine with Max gets more established. Here are the items that help keep Max calm and keep our sanity in check.
Max at 1 Month
After a month of barely leaving the house, Aaron and I are finally starting to adapt to our routine with Max. Some of the best advice we received about the first few weeks with our newborn was to cherish as much as of it as possible and remember that the...
Nursery in Progress: Calvin and Hobbes Mural
Aaron and I decided we wanted to paint a Calvin and Hobbes mural in our nursery. For Aaron, this was motivated by his (curiously) strong love for the comic strip, whereas I just thought it would look really cute. We chose an illustration from The Essential Calvin & Hobbes that...