Baby steps

Max has been extremely busy- between wooing Sadie, taking tandem strolls in the amazing weather, and playing with every toy in creation, he has worked up an insatiable appetite.  When I see the laundry list of foods he eats throughout the day I can't help but wonder if he eats more than me!  All of that food is certainly giving him plenty of energy.  Yesterday he decided that instead of just playing with the toys on the front of the walker he would actually walk with it.  

Now that Max is four weeks removed from surgery David and I have to massage his scar several times a day.  This is done to prevent the scar from shrinking up and making his lip line uneven.  It is really quite simple and only takes about thirty seconds, but Max hates it.  And so do we. 





Tall stack (9.22.12)

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Rub-a-dub-dub, climbing out of the tub (9.19.12)



Good news will come to you by mail

My fortune cookie, which I enjoyed for breakfast this morning, was right. Except instead of by mail, we received the news from Dr. Dawson, David's oncologist. This afternoon David had his first CT since the last of his three surgeries. All of the recent pathology has pointed towards David being cured, but this was the first scan since all of the "dust settled" in his body since completing quite a rigorous treatment.

Twenty bitten nails, five vials of blood, and two hours later, we got the great news- David is officially cancer-free!

Thank you, Dr. Dawson, for curing Max's daddy!




breakfast (9.18.12)

What does Max love more- Sadie or food?  It's a tie. (9.18.12)




 

Waiting for daddy (9.18.12)



Max loves life

Books, mirrors, puzzles, snacks, and daddy.  You name it, Max loves it.  And laughs at it.

Just don't wipe his face; that he doesn't like.  Obviously.



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I don't know what this says, but I like it! (9.16.12)



Stair master

After just four days in "school" Max learned how to do two important things.  Jen taught him how to nap, while his muse, Sadie, lured him up the stairs.  I have been spoiled by receiving photos and videos of Max throughout the week, and Max has been spoiled by spending time with not one, but two girls all day!  We were all spoiled by the refreshingly beautiful weather on Friday afternoon so David and I decided to take Max to an alfresco happy hour at the Town Center.  Only Max could get away with bringing his own bottle to a happy hour.  He didn't even get cut off when he smashed a plate on the floor. 

Maiden voyage in his new wagon (9.15.12)

After carefully considering his options, Max went with the fries (9.14.12)

Ready or not... (9.14.12)

 

 Rough (9.13.12)

Gentle (9.13.12)

It's not snot

Between Max having surgery and David and I going back to work, the past three weeks have been hectic, sleepless, and messy! Max is teething and that combined with his open palate has created a human drool faucet. Like most infants enjoying the wonderful world of food exploration, his beautiful face is commonly adorned with some type of sticky substance but he has NOT had a huge bugger permanently affixed to his nose for the past three weeks. That was the nasal stent! Given Max's track record of cleanliness (or lack there of) I can understand why some people would be confused.

The nasal stents were removed today and Max 3.0 looks better than ever! Let's just hope his new and improved look is indicative of his sleeping.




Sometimes the driest shirt is no shirt at all (9.12.12)



Happy to be stent-free (9.12.12)

The calm before the stent-removal storm (9.12.12)

 

Heading back to Baltimore (9.12.12)

 

(9.11.12)



Jen Care

The Grandma train has left the building and this morning I dropped our little nugget off at daycare.  Luckily for us all, for various reasons, Jen is Max's teacher, and Sadie Bean his sole classmate.  One of my most favorite perks (there are many) of Jen caring for Max is that he will spend his days with Sadie.  Since we don't have family nearby and Max is clearly an only child, it is great that he gets to play with someone his own size while being cared for by someone who treats him like her own.  When we got to Jen's this morning Max immediately made a B-line for the toys and only turned back to flash me his trademark, super-sized grin.  That made it tough for me to be sad, but I was sure jealous that I couldn't stay and play, too.

Another great perk of Jen Care is all of the photos and this absolutely hilarious video!





Snack time! (9.10.12)



Duet (9.10.12)





Front row seat (9.10.12)

Max's first art project from school (9.10.12)



After school grocery store run (9.10.12)



Mosquito magnet

It appears that Max, like his mom, is extremely prone to mosquito bites.   After discovering Max's eye swollen shut from a bug bite on his eye lid, I decided to research why Max and I get eaten alive by flying blood suckers, while David can endure a walk outside virtually bite-free.  Normally I would not even bother consulting WebMD, but the article I found quoted a University of Florida professor; naturally that gives it credence.  According to the article, some people are more genetically predisposed to mosquito attraction.  Another theory is that one's chemical make-up gives off odors that attract mosquitoes.  If you have ever smelled Max, or his formula that he wears as cologne, you would think his odor would more likely be a bug repellent.  Needless to say, I spent the weekend shopping for baby-safe bug spray and a stroller mosquito net.

Over the past several months people have asked me where I find the time to post updates on this blog.  The answer was simple and somewhat unfortunate:  there is not much else to do while waiting in doctors offices and hospital waiting rooms.  Thankfully, I now have plenty to do, and continuing this digital archive of Max's life is definitely one of them.

(9.9.12)



Oatmeal bath to help soothe the bug bites (9.8.12)



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Having fun at Timmy's 1st birthday (9.7.12)

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Back to life

Labor Day weekend marks the unofficial end of summer because for many it means back to school.  For us it marks return to normalcy.  Max is on the tail end of his recovery, and as you can see from the photos, he is happy as can be.  David and I are both back at work and treasure our afternoons with Max more than ever.

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What channel is the Y.E.S. network? (9.4.12)

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Monkey boy

Max spent the past week being spoiled by Grandma Marie who paraded our little ham all over Reston.  It is hard to tell who had a better time, but both had huge smiles on their faces when I came home each day.  Unfortunately, only one was tired. Max is one energetic fellow; I am beginning to wonder if his bottles are spiked with Red Bull.  His latest hobby is standing in his crib, which makes sense, since he is never tired enough to actually sleep in it.  His wobbly legs and tip-toed feet have landed him new-face first into the crib rails many times.  Based on his response it hurt more than the surgery.  Needless to say, Max has been transferred to the confines of a more padded pack 'n play and will remain there indefinitely. 

The nasal stints are probably to blame for Max's restless nights.  We have managed to keep the stints clean, but it would be hard for anyone to sleep with a stuffed nose.  The nurses recommended cleaning the stints with saline spray or a nasal aspirator, but Max will have no part of that.  Instead, we distract him in the bath and spray the pull-down shower head up his nose.  He is too caught off guard to cry and I think he is actually starting to enjoy his nightly nasal bidet.  Most importantly, it must be working because when we took him for the suture removal, nurses commented about how clean the stints were.  David and I could not help but laugh at the idea that someone thought Max was clean.  It was reminiscent of the first time we took Max to Johns Hopkins when he was one week old.  A doctor told us that he had good head control.  David's response, "Man, I would hate to see what bad head control looks like."

On the wings of Grandma Marie's departure tomorrow, Grandma Barbara will arrive to take care of Max next week when both David and I are back at work full-time.   I reminded her to pack her running shoes.

Do I have something on my face? (8.31.12)

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Sleeping in with daddy (8.30.12)

Monkey boy (8.29.12)

Suture Tuesday

Early this morning, after a few brief, non-consecutive hours of sleep, we were back on the road to Johns Hopkins for Max to have some sutures removed from his lip. Despite the early call-time of 6:00am, Max got much needed sleep on the car ride both there and back home. The whole procedure took less then ten minutes, but did require him to go under anesthesia in order to remain still while the surgeon carefully removed the thin, blue threads. Our little insomniac could not sit still long enough to be weighed this morning, but of course he charmed the scrubs off all the nurses. They didn't even mind when he zeroed in on their stethoscopes with his mouth.

Speaking of mouths, Max's mouth continues to amaze. He looks absolutely fantastic. Doctor Redett is truly a surgical artist with the bedside manner of a gentle saint.

New mouth, new nose, no sleep

The past few days have been spent with Max adjusting to his new mouth, and David and I adjusting to little rest.  Like a newborn, the new Max has brought much joy, some stress, and sleepless nights.  I sense that his pain is well managed, but he is dealing with increased congestion.  As you may be able to see from the photos, Max has stints sewn into each of his nostrils to prevent the newly molded cartilage from collapsing.  Yet another necessary evil, the stints help make the surgery more effective, but they also stuff his nose- literally.  They will be removed by the doctor in three weeks. His trademark smile and belly laughs are making a comeback as he adjusts to the sensation of his new lip.  There is likely some pain and tightness from the stitches as well.   He is eating plenty and, thanks to round-the-clock supervision, is rarely restricted by his arm braces. 

Our biggest challenge now is getting Max comfy enough to sleep for more than twenty minutes at a time.  Perhaps it is the excitement of his new look or all of the attention and gifts from family and friends.  Maybe he is saddened over the loss of his friend, Count von Count, but something is keeping Max 3.0 awake at all hours of the night.  With little baby bags under his beautiful blue eyes, Max finally passed out around 7:00pm tonight.  Here's hoping for sweet, long dreams.

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Eight months old

Max came home today just in time for his eight month photo. I wanted to take the arm restraints off for the picture but I felt it best to put safety before vanity. He did crawl around a bit this afternoon and is quickly discovering ways of getting things into his mouth even with his "no no's"*. There is no denying that Max is a very creative, active, and strong (in every sense of the word), eight month old.

*"No-no's" is the kid-friendly term for the arm restraints/braces that Max has to wear so he does not touch his face. It makes sense since the word "no" is every child's favorite thing to hear.

(8.24.12)

Post-op wagon ride (8.24.12)

Back home with his favorite book (8.24.12)

Field trip to the hospital pharamacy (8.24.12)