Baby's First Christmas

Whew! What a Christmas season we had! Max, Maggie, Jeff and I celebrated Christmas in Nashville, Zanesville and Cincinnati. It was really fun celebrating with Max and our families. After a week in Ohio we are all home now and recuperating. Our house looks like a war zone with piles of laundry and brightly colored toys everywhere. But, instead of dealing with the mess, I'm going through our pictures and sharing them here. This is much more fun! Our little family celebrated Christmas together on Saturday, December 20. Max obviously had no idea what was going on, but Jeff and I had fun telling him that Santa came to our house. He got a few things in his stocking, some clothes and a Bumbo seat. He looks so cute sitting in his little seat. It will come in handy when he starts eating solid foods, too. Looking at his stocking with Daddy.

Opening a gift from Santa.

The Bumbo seat!

After celebrating Christmas in Nashville on Saturday, we packed up the circus (as Jeff refers to us when we are traveling) and headed to Cincinnati on Sunday. We celebrated my birthday and Drema's birthday on Sunday night. On Monday, Jeff and I got to go out for my birthday while Grammy and Grampy gladly babysat Max. After three nights with Jeff's parents we drove to Zanesville on Christmas Eve.

Nana and Max on Christmas Eve.

Max is very proud of his standing abilities.

Maggie is very protective of her candy cane bone! After celebrating Christmas in Zanesville, we drove back to Cincinnati on Saturday to celebrate with Jeff's family. Cousin Chloe takes good care of Max! Max ended up getting lots of cute clothes and many fun toys (that make lots of noise!) for Christmas. It is hard to be away from our families and making these trips can be exhausting, but it so wonderful when we get to spend quality time together. Both sets of grandparents cannot get enough of Max and he is so happy when he is with them. In general, Max is very happy and laid back, which makes long trips relatively easy for him. It's hard to believe that Max's first Christmas is over, but we have many great memories. P.S.- I am having major issues with the layout of this blog- sorry for the weird spacing!

Lil' Bearcat

Last night Max got to watch his first UC basketball game. It was a big game- the Crosstown Shootout against Xavier. Unfortunately the Bearcats aren't quite as good in basketball as they are in football and they lost to the Musketeers. You can tell by the wet spots all over his shirt that he is drooling like crazy! He puts everything in his mouth now and loves to chew on his fingers and hands. Sometimes he tries to stick both of his fists in his mouth at the same time. I can't see any teeth coming in yet, but I have a feeling one will be here sooner than later.

Doing the U-C cheer

O Christmas Tree

One of Jeff's requests this Christmas season was that we go to a tree farm to cut down our Christmas tree. After some research I quickly found out that Christmas tree farms do not exist in Nashville. So we ended up at Lowe's! It was a really cold evening and Jeff and I were both exhausted. We looked at exactly three trees, picked one and headed home. It certainly wasn't the idyllic scene that Jeff had hoped for, but we have a great tree!

Back to Ohio

We were lucky to spend a lot of time in Ohio the last few weeks of November. We were in town for a Messer function, my friend, Carmie's wedding, and Thanksgiving. Max and I got to spend a whole week with my parents during the week of Thanksgiving. Jeff had work to do in Cincinnati, but he joined us in Zanesville for Thanksgiving day. Both of my brothers and Michael's wife, Rana, were able to come to Zanesville for Thanksgiving. This was the first time in several years that my entire family has been together at my parent's house. It was so nice to have everyone together! We also got see the extended Banta family in Indianapolis at Jeff's cousin's home for a post-Thanksgiving gathering. Max met Great-Grandma Banta for the first time. He is so lucky to have two great-grandmas! Unfortunately, Great-Grandma Banta had a bad cold, so she didn't get to hold Max, but Max enjoyed meeting her. It was wonderful to be back and spend quality time with all of our family.

Yesterday Max went to the doctor for his four month check up. He is finally on the growth chart! He now weighs 11lbs. 12oz. and is 23.5 in long. He is in the 3rd percentile for weight and 5th for height. I was hoping he would weigh more, but we are making progress. He is in the 20th percentile for head circumference- the Drake genes are shining through!

Here are some pictures from our time in Ohio.

Chatting with Grammy

With second cousin Anne Marie

With Great Aunt Judy

With Michael and Rana

Napping with Aunt Rana

Napping with Papa

Playing with Great Grandma Mary

Rollin'

Max finally rolled over yesterday! He has been trying for a few weeks now, and I think that both sets of grandparents were hoping that he'd do it for them when we were in Ohio. However, Max likes to do things on his own schedule- he did it about two hours after we got home. Sorry, Grammy and Nana! We had a wonderful trip to Ohio and I'll post pics from our visit soon.

Another Milestone

After about two weeks of staring at the rattles hanging from his gym and batting at them with his fists, Max finally grabbed ahold of them! He has to really concentrate to do it, but it is getting easier. This is a fun milestone, but I know that soon he'll be putting everything in his mouth and pulling my hair.

More Visitors!

This past weekend Neil and Liz came for a visit. Max was happy to see his godparents and Maggie was happy to see her cousins, Roxxy and Jaxx (well maybe happy isn't the right word, but they got along well). We introduced Neil and Liz to the fine dining experience of a "meat and three" at Puckett's in Franklin. Meat and threes are big around here- I'm not sure if it's a Southern thing or a Nashville thing. Basically you order one meat from a list of three or four meat options and three side items from a list of seven or eight choices. It's down home cooking at it's highest!

We will be heading to Ohio this weekend. Jeff and I have to attend a Messer function on Saturday night- which is not the most exciting way to spend a Saturday night- but we are really looking forward to seeing friends and family. I'm hoping to sneak in some Skyline and Graeters!

Roxxy and Jaxx

Morning Work Out

Yesterday Max got an early Christmas present from Nana and Papa (my parents). He loves the new activity gym. He already enjoys morning time, but this morning was even more fun! You can see in this video that his personality is really blossoming and he is smiling and "talking" a lot these days.

Little Man on Campus

Yesterday Max and I met Jeff at Vanderbilt to check out the campus. Jeff wanted to see the campus and medical center because Messer is hoping to get a project with Vanderbilt. I couldn't pass up the chance to get out on such a warm, sunny day in November. The campus is really gorgeous. It is actually an arboretum, so the trees were amazing in their full autumn color. Max slept in his stroller for most of the trip, but he woke up right as we were walking to the car so Jeff snapped this picture of us near a random building. This picture does not all reflect the beauty of Vanderbilt's campus, but it does capture Max doing his new favorite thing- sticking out his tongue! It must feel good on his gums, because he does it a lot. He looks like a little lizard.

Jeff is not yet on a specific project. He is currently working out of Messer's office near downtown. He works on several different projects and is still wrapping up a few loose ends at NKU. I am hoping that once he does get put on a job that it will be an easy commute for him. However, Messer has projects all over middle Tennessee and southern Kentucky, so he could potentially be on a project that is over an hour away from our house. Right now it takes him 30-40 minutes to get to work, which has been an adjustment from the 20 minute drive he was used to in Cincinnati. I am so thankful that Messer doesn't seem to be greatly effected by the unstable economy. In fact, they are hiring more people for the Nashville market, which is such a good sign.

This weekend Liz and Neil will be visiting us, so we will have another exciting weekend!

Happy Halloween

Our little pumpkin allowed us to dress him up in a very oversized pumpkin costume for Halloween. He tolerated it fairly well and looked so cute. He was a hit with all the neighbors. My parents were also in town for the weekend and we had a great time showing them around Nashville. Here are some pictures from the weekend. Watching the Titans with Dad

Our First Visitors

This weekend Jeff's parents came to visit us and see our new place. On Saturday afternoon we went to the Franklin Pumpkin Festival. Max had the most comfortable seat in town! We had great weather all weekend and loved being with family. We can't wait for more visitors!

Max also turned three months old this weekend. He is certainly growing up!

Who's excited for the Pumpkin Fest?

Tummy Time

Here is a video of Max doing some tummy time. In general, Max can only handle a few minutes of tummy time before he starts screaming. So this was a rare occasion for him to actually enjoy being on the boppy. He is getting so strong and gaining more control over his neck and head. Max's current fascination is with ceiling fans. He can lay on our bed or in his crib and stare at the ceiling fan for a good 2o minutes. I have to admit that I totally take advantage of that ceiling fan so that I can get a few chores done! Max seems to be adjusting well to life in Nashville. He goes with me on lots of errands and he is a real hit with everyone we meet. Unfortunately, car rides are the only time that I can guarantee that Max will fall asleep and stay asleep for more than 20 minutes. We still aren't getting much sleep around here, but everyone keeps telling me that it will get better. I am so grateful to be staying home with him. This is a hard job, but spending so much time with him and watching his personality develop is so worth it!

Good-bye Heekin House...

Whew, what a week! Last Monday the movers came and packed up our little house on Heekin Avenue. It was hard to say good-bye to that house because of all the hard work we put into it and we have many fond memories there. But, now we are getting settled into our house in Franklin, Tennessee. We moved in on Friday. There are still boxes everywhere and there is so much to do, but I'm trying not to stress about it too much. Maggie is slowly adjusting. She spent the first two days trying to find the perfect place to hide. At one point, Jeff found her buried under a giant hosta plant in the back yard. After a few nice long walks and some scolding for constantly trying to hide in the bathroom behind the toilet, she is starting to calm down and feel at home. Our neighbors are incredibly friendly. Everyone has introduced themselves and we even got a huge plate of cookies from one neighbor. All the neighbors seem to know each other really well and do lots of things together. We've already been invited to a neighbor's house on Halloween night for a chili potluck before the kids go trick-or-treating. It's nice to know that everyone looks out for each other here since we are starting out knowing no one! I'm going to have start scouting out babysitters for Max. I don't look forward to leaving him with someone other than family, but I know that some day I will have to. There are lots of kids in the neighborhood, so I'm sure I can get a recommendation for a great babysitter when that time comes. I will try to post updates more often now that we are more settled.

Two Months Old!

Today Max is two months old. It is so hard to believe. He is smiling and laughing a lot now. This is so rewarding to see, especially after long, nearly sleepless nights! Max went to the doctor on Wednesday. He is now 8lbs 5 oz and 21 inches long. Although he is still very small for his age (his size doesn't even register on the standard infant growth charts), he is gaining weight and growing at an excellent rate.

Here are a few of Max's happy faces and his classic yawn.n.

Baptism

This past Sunday, September 14 Max was baptized at The Church of the Redeemer. It was a momentous occasion made even more special by the fact that both of our entire immediate families were at the ceremony. Neil and Liz are Max's godparents. Michael and Daniel flew in for the weekend and finally got to meet Max. It was so fun to see my younger brothers bonding with my son! Joanie and John were also in town from Vashon, Washington. It was one big happy family celebration!

Unfortunately, Ike hit just as our celebration was ending, which made travel nearly impossible for everyone who came in from out of town. Michael ended up getting grounded in Cincinnati, so he had to spend the night with us, in the dark. Even though it was a stressful situation, I loved the extra time to hang out with my brother! Our power was only out for about 16 hours or so. We were very fortunate because many others went days without power. Jeff and I quickly learned how to create just the right lighting using candles and a flashlight in order to change a dirty diaper!

It was a memorable weekend!

Meet Max

Since some of our family, including my two brothers, have yet to meet Max in person, I thought I'd post a couple of videos. Both are of Max sleeping, but you can see he that even when he is asleep he is full of expression! The first video was taken in the hospital on July 29, our 2 year wedding anniversary. Max was just 3 days old and it was his first day out of the special care nursery. The second video was taken this morning, Sept 4. Max is 5.5 weeks and he now weighs 6lbs 11oz. He is gaining weight quickly and I think you can really tell a difference is his size. Each video is only about 2 minutes, and maybe everyone but me will think they are totally boring, but I love watching them and him!

Nashville House

Last Thursday Jeff drove down to Nashville to attend the closing on our house. The house is actually in a small town just south of Nashville called Franklin. Franklin is an old country town and has a great town center with cute little locally owned shops and restaurants (and churches on every corner!). Franklin has a mixture of subdivisions, farmland and grand estates (several celebrities including Nicole Kidman and Carrie Underwood have homes in Franklin). We are excited to live in such a quaint yet vibrant area.

We are also looking forward to living in the beautiful house that we bought. We liked it right away when we saw it. It has everything we were looking for- 3 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, a big yard for Maggie and Max, an attached garage and it doesn't need any work! It's the perfect house for our little family. The couple that we bought the house from recently updated the kitchen complete with quartz counter tops and stainless appliances. Eventually we will personalize with our own paint colors and possibly update the bathrooms, but for now it is ready to move into with no work on our part.

The house is in a great neighborhood called Cottonwood Estates. All of the homes are roughly 30 years old and there are lots of mature trees. Each property has a grassy area in the back in addition to a back yard called the common ground. This common ground can be used by any

resident and is maintained by the neighborhood association. It makes the lots seem much bigger and is a great area for parties or ballgames. It's also nice not to have neighbors right behind our property. At the back of the subdivision is a pool, clubhouse, playground and tennis courts. Cottonwood seems like a wonderful, family friendly community. I am looking forward to meeting new neighbors on walks with Maggie and Max.

We don't have a specific move date, but it will be sometime in the last week of September. Jeff is scheduled to start with Messer's Nashville office on Oct. 1. He doesn't know yet what project he will be on. Lots of new adventures are headed our way!