31 January 2012

Photo A Day: 30/31 and February!

Thirty: Nature
The weeds have sprouted in our backyard -
they are confused by this springlike weather (kind of like me)!

Thirty-one: Me, Again
On a walk this morning with little man

Although I have not been the best about taking photos on the day I'm supposed to 
(usually I was playing catch-up every couple of days!), 
I really enjoyed the January Photo a Day Challenge

Well, I didn't want to copy the exact same photos for February, 
so after a little internet search, I came up with this list:


I hope you will join me on my quest to take one photo a day (ish) for 2012!

29 January 2012

Photo A Day: January 26-29

Twenty-six: Color
A little color for a Valentine craft with Max

Twenty-seven: Lunch

Yummy tuna melt and green grapes


Twenty-eight: Light

The "light" at the end of little man's new play tunnel :)


Twenty-nine: Inside your fridge

Geez - I need to go to the grocery store!

26 January 2012

The Latest

I feel like my posts lately have consisted mainly of my photos of the day 
(which I can't even do everyday), so I thought a little more in-depth update was in order. :)

We have gotten a few more things for Max's room, 
and I finally feel like we are getting close to finished!

My Aunt Dee painted the awesome scooter canvas,
and I found this Etsy seller where I purchased the Keep Calm print.
I plan to make one of those ruler growth charts for Max 
since I know we won't be in this house forever.

And this Saturday I'm making a trip to Ikea, so who knows what other kinds of fun I'll find!

Max is developing so many new skills, it is hard to keep up with them all. 
The biggest development in the skills area is that little man is now CRAWLING!

As you can see from the video, he still has a little perfecting to do. :) 
But he is much more mobile now and into everything.

And when he's not crawling around, he's attached to my hip.
I guess you could say he has hit the separation anxiety phase.
He won't even let me out of his sight most of the time without crying - poor baby. :(

He's also started jabbering a WHOLE lot more.
His first "words": da da.

There never was a prouder papa. :)

So that's the latest in the Rich household!

Embrace the Camera

Skyping it up with Daddy :)
Go and embrace!


25 January 2012

Photo A Day: January 25

Twenty-five: Something you made
I absolutely LOVE this rosemary-mint sugar scrub I made!
It's perfect for keeping my skin smooth during the dry winter months. :)

24 January 2012

Photo A Day: January 24

Twenty-four: Guilty pleasure
That may or may not be a just-used spoon next to the jar ;)

23 January 2012

Photo A Day: January 20-23

Twenty: Someone you love
My scooter-ridin' man :)

Twenty-one: Reflections
Little man posing with Daddy on the scooter

Twenty-two: Your shoes

I seriously wear my New Balance athletic shoes just about every day!

Twenty-three: Something old

A set of old science encyclopedias, circa 1962, from my Mema

19 January 2012

Photo A Day: January 15-19

Fifteen: Happiness
Holding my husband's hand :)

Sixteen: Morning
Love seeing this face in the morning!

Seventeen: Water
Carry this cup with me everywhere 'cause I'm one thirsty gal

Eighteen: Something you bought
 The supplies to make my own handsoap 
(we'll see how that turns out)

Nineteen: Sweet
Fresh blueberries + a dollop of sour cream + a sprinkling of brown sugar = 
a little something sweet to finish off my lunch :)

17 January 2012

Seven Months

It can't be possible, can it? That I really truly have a seven month old? No, no. It's not possible.
 Seven months doesn't sound like a baby age any more - it sounds so old! :(

Our little "old" man is up to so many new things these days:

We went to the pediatrician today to get his flu shot booster, and 
they weighed him in at 19 pounds, 6 ounces and measured him at 28 inches long. Growing boy!

He still sleeps about 12 hours a night and takes 3 good naps during the day. 
It is my favorite thing to come in to get him up and he's grinning from ear to ear!
We are so blessed that Max is such a good sleeper. :)

Max nurses 4 times a day and is eating solids at 3 meals a day as well. So far he has tried sweet potatoes, butternut squash, avocado, green beans, peas, spinach, carrots, pumpkin, pears, apples, prunes, and apricots in addition to rice cereal and oatmeal. And bananas. This kid LOVES bananas!

He has also been doing well with finger foods and is getting more accurate with his aim. 
Those puffs and yogurt melts are actually making it into his mouth. ;) 
Max also loves Mum-mums (much easier to hold) and gnawing on a baby carrot or piece of apple. Mealtimes are getting messier in our household, for sure!

Max can push self up to sitting very well, but still only scoots along the floor (no crawling yet!).
He has only attempted pulling up a few times and got up to his knees.

Little man still puts EVERYthing in his mouth. :) 
Max loves to listen to music and "dance" to it with Mommy. 
Sometimes I think his little vocalizations are his way of trying to sing along!

He gives out some great giggles when Daddy tickles him.

It gives my heart such great joy to see that Max already enjoys books, 
especially those with pictures of animals (and when the reader makes the sound!)
He has even started "helping" me turn the page during storytime.

We often catch Max studying his toys so seriously, turning them over in his hands. 
He loves to investigate new things (like the trash can). I'm sure it will be even more of an adventure when he's crawling good!
Max likes to see what noises things make - he often bangs his toys together or on the ground, 
and has discovered the sound button on his jumperoo.

He enjoys going for walks with Mommy and looking at everything outside.

Max watches older children so intently, like he's trying to figure them out. :)

Sometimes he gets upset when he realizes Mommy is not holding him or if I leave the room.

He has started reaching out when he wants to be picked up, which is so so sweet.

Every day we are seeing Max's little personality shine through.
It is so much fun to watch our little man grow (even if we wish he would slow down a bit)!

14 January 2012

Photo A Day: January 11-14

Eleven: Where you sleep
On the right side of the bed :)

Twelve: Close up
 A little project I've been working on for Max

Thirteen: Something you're reading
I just finished Catching Fire and am about to start Mockingjay.
Thanks, Katie, for lending them to me! I think I'll have them back to you within the week. :)

Fourteen: In your bag

The diaper bag is my accessory of choice these days...
but I always have a pack of Orbit gum tucked in the pocket!

11 January 2012

A to Z

A. Age: 28 
B. Bed size: Queen. Clay would LOVE to have a king-sized bed, 
but our bedroom is not big enough for that. :) 
C. Chore that you hate: Dishes - probably because we don't have a dishwasher 
so we have to hand wash EVERYthing! 
D. Dogs: None. We've talked about getting one someday when Max is a little older. 
E. Essential start to your day: Eating breakfast 
F. Favorite color: Green 
G. Gold or Silver: It depends. Most of my jewelry is silver-colored 
(wedding ring, watch) but I do like gold on occasion. :)
H. Height: 5'9" 
I. Instruments you play: Piano (I can plink out a few things) and the recorder 
(my rendition of Hot Cross Buns is quite moving) 
J. Job title: Chief Toilet-Scrubber, Menu-Planner, and Diaper-Changer, aka "Mom" 
K. Kids: One precious little Maxwell James! 
L. Live: "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." - Philippians 1:21 
M. Mother’s name: Sylvia 
N. Nicknames: Jess, JB, Yessica
O. Overnight hospital stays: Only once, after I gave birth to Max
P. Pet peeves: Not putting things back in their place. It shouldn't be that big of a deal, 
but 1100 square feet of house doesn't allow lots of extra space to leave stuff lying around!
Q. Quote from a movie: "You're killin' me, Smalls." - The Sandlot
R. Right or left handed: Right
S. Siblings: One younger sister, Rachel 
U. Underwear: Um...yes, I'm wearing some (????). 
V. Vegetable you hate: Beets. Really, I've tried to like them - but it's just not possible.
W. What makes you run late: Max spitting up all over my outfit as I'm walking out the door.
X. X-Rays you’ve had: Once a year at the dentist and when I fractured my elbow in fifth grade.
Y. Yummy food that you make: Everything I make is yummy. ;) 
Z. Zoo animal: I like the hippos. They hide in the water all day, sticking it to all the zoo patrons who'd really love to see what an entire hippopotamus looks like. Also, it's fun to say "hippopotamus."

10 January 2012

Photo A Day: January 10

Ten: Childhood

To me, nothing says childhood like exploring the great out of doors. ;)

09 January 2012

Photo A Day: January 5-9

Five - Something I wore
 My purple polka dot Toms

 Six - Makes me smile
 Lots of things make me smile,
but today it was an empty laundry basket :)

Seven - Favorite
 My favorite way to end the day - reading in bed!

Eight - Your sky

Kind of grey and blah today

Nine - Daily routine

Washing Max's cloth diapers (every other day)

It's been fun to see others' photo challenges - keep snapping away!

08 January 2012

Tickle Me Max

Little man has been laughing for months now, 
but I just haven't been able to get a good video of it.

Until now. :)


Enjoy the song of our little Tickle Me Max!

05 January 2012

Embrace the Camera

Enjoying a little floor time with my little man. :)


Go and embrace!

Book of the Month: December

Folks, I think I have set a personal record for the quickest read - EVER. The reason? 
This little paperback, which found its way into my stocking thanks to my husband Clay:


I seriously finished this book within twelve hours of starting it! 
(Probably would have been less, but there are these things called responsibilities - 
you know, a child and dinner and laundry and such - that demanded my attention.)

There is a lot of buzz about The Hunger Games, probably because the movie is due out this March. 
I have to admit, I'm always a bit skeptical to jump on the teen novel bandwagon but now I see what all the fuss is about! Granted, there was a bit more gore to the book than I care for (I did skim those sections so maybe that's why I finished so quickly?), but I don't think it would have been such a compelling story had the stakes not been so high. 

So all that to say, yes, it was a very compelling story.
Yes, I am a fast reader. :)
Yes, I can hardly wait to get my hands on a copy of the second book!

And if you are interested in reading The Hunger Games, I have a copy I'd love to lend. :)

Happy reading!

03 January 2012

Photo A Day Challenge

So I saw this yesterday on a blog I follow and thought it was a fabulous idea! 
It is one of many ideas I have borrowed from Meredith. :)


I've been thinking for a while that it would be fun to take one photo each day
and maybe make it into a book of some sort for each year, to help me remember daily life.
This is a perfect photo prompt - otherwise all my pictures would be of Max!

Since I'm starting out behind, today is my catch-up day. 
Here are photos 

one

(sleepyhead me)

two
(my usual breakfast - a cup of instant oatmeal
while playing with Max)
three
(something I adore, of course!)

and four
(I'm not really sure what Letterbox is, so I took a picture of the closest thing 
I could think of - anyone know? Google was not very helpful.)

So here's to one month (at least) of photos! 
It's not too late to join in the fun - I'd love to see what's in front of your camera. :)