The BIG news in Max’s last month is the development of not one, but TWO teeth. We noticed the first little nub mid-December. The second poked through right before New Year’s Eve. They are the front, bottom teeth. Max has handled it pretty well. His teething behavior includes a lot of tongue sticking out and a recurrent runny nose. 
Max is less than thrilled about getting a picture taken of his teeth
When playing, Max LOVES to bang two objects together. He has also started flinging things behind him. Then he looks up like, “where’d it go?” If a toy is out of reach in front of him, Max will start to push up from sitting to land on all fours. He’s not sure if he likes this, but if truly motivated, will go for it.
As far as mobility, my baby can crawl like a madman…backwards. Poor kid will get so excited about a toy, he’ll push off his arms and propel himself backwards. He can also pivot all the way around (as needed ;). I’ve been waiting and waiting for so much as an army crawl forward, but no luck. The good news is Max wants to do the crawling thing just right. He has learned to get up on all fours instead of bothering with the whole slithering on his belly thing. He will climb up, rock, and usually lunge (belly flop!) forward. I try to remind myself it’s fine for him to take his time since that gives us a chance to finish some babyproofing!
Crawling! (sort of)
Maxwell ate his first solid-solids this month. He ate some puffs, some cereal-like pieces that dissolve easily in your mouth. He’s been doing really well with them, but has choked a little on occasion. Max has also been eating some “mum-mum” rice rusks that are much bigger than the little puffs. The first time I saw him holding onto the rice rusk, taking a bite, chewing, and swallowing, I admit I teared up! What a far cry from a feeding tube! In addition to puffs, rice rusks, and purees, Max had his first yogurt- Yo Baby! I love giving Max the yogurt because, of all his foods, it has the MOST calories! He’s still so little and I still find myself cheering, “grow, baby, grow!”
In order to get some things done and keep my sanity we have gone “shopping” a few times. This typically consists of me going in a store while Max’s daddy or Gigi play with him in the car. Then I play while the other adult gets a little break. Believe it or not, Max usually likes this setup. He LOVES watching cars drive by. He’ll bounce and coo like they are the greatest toys ever. Not many cars pass our house and the few that do are hard to see from our windows. So Max actually likes a random “shopping” day. It occurred to me recently that when I do get to take him in stores again, he’ll be riding in the cart like a big boy! He couldn’t sit on his own early last fall so this spring shopping will be a whole new world. Ditto with restaurants as he’ll be ready to sit in their high chairs!
Fun toes!
Mr. Max has become proficient at waving to people. He started playing with this skill last month, but is really utilizing it a lot this month. Sometimes he forgets to open his hand and will greet you with a fist. But, he really likes to see someone and thrust that open palm out to say hello. If you’re really lucky, the wave is accompanied by a guttural “hoo-ooo.” Won’t be long until that is replaced with the more socially-accepted, “hi!”
I think we’ve been very blessed by a baby with an adaptable, sweet temperament. Don’t get me wrong, he can scream with the loudest of them and he definitely has his mood swings. But through all the fuss and fervor of holiday activities, Max rolled with the punches. He was around both sides of the family and some friends at various locations this month and was sweet as can be. We tried to stick pretty close to his feeding/ sleeping schedule. He still struggled sometimes with his naps, but that wasn’t unusual. He was patient, funny, and excited. I thought for sure he’d tear into those presents. Instead, he preferred to play with small pieces of wrapping paper, tending to them gently, as if they were his gifts. Each gift was a delight to him as we modeled how to play with them, but he did keep revisiting small pieces of paper or neglected bows.
One of Max’s “big” gifts was a push walker. We knew he wouldn’t be able to use it solo yet, but wanted to provide him with the scaffolded support possible by having it early. Max pulled up on my hands, transferred his hands to the handle, and gave a sparkling grin. He was so proud of himself. Until he shifted his weight forward…he wasn’t quite sure how to keep his hands on the walker while it moved further away. Through practice, Max is now eager to use his walker while his momma holds him under the armpits for a little extra aide in balancing.
Other big hits in the toy department: stacking cups, shape sorters, books, a drum, and a basketball goal. He really enjoys all of his gifts and thanks all the wonderful people who thought of him this Christmas. Thankfully, Max also received a toy box to store all of his belongings :)
Max has also been a little clingy this month. I’m not sure if it’s because he’s teething or if he’s developing some “stranger” anxiety. On the one hand, I love that he loves me, but I also want him to enjoy all the other people who care about him. I try to soak up every minute with my baby. After all, one day he will have a life of his own. Hard to imagine, but it’s true.
Can’t be a monthly update without some stats:
Weight: 16 lb, 3 oz.
Diapers: 2-3 in Pampers, 3 in Huggies (overnights) and Luvs
Clothing: 6-12
Smiles: millions :)
Note the outfit: jacket says "Mommy's heartbreaker" and the shirt says "#1 with the ladies"
My daredevil demonstrating a one handed approach