Max is walkin' and talkin'!

Max is on the move! Here he is taking a few steps. He also thinks everything is a phone which is why he is holding the remote to his ear :)

Max Playing

Max loves his exersaucer!

Two Months Old

Max turned two months old this week. At his two month check up he weighed 10lbs 1 oz and was 20 1/2 inches long. He also had his first set of vaccines. This was defintitely more stressful for his mom than for him. Max was fast asleep before he even left the doctor's office. The doctor said he is doing well and gaining weight at a good pace. As he continues to grow so does his hair. He still has a full head of hair and may be getting his first hair cut soon. He is still a short little guy though and is at the one percentile for height. Based on the short stature of his parents this wasn't much of a surprise. We did find out he has acid reflux and can't lay down after eating which makes it hard for him to sleep at night. To help with the acid reflux the little guy has to take medicine three times a day. It has helped a lot but some days he still struggles with it.

This month Max has learned how to roll over to avoid tummy time. He can roll in both directions and has forced his parents to find more creative ways of having him get in his daily tummy time. Practicing sitting up on the couch and standing are two of his new favorite past times. He also likes to check himself out in the mirror. Within the past two weeks Max has started to smile and really likes to giggle, especially in the morning time. Although his mom refuses to let him suck his thumb he seems to enjoy that more than his pacifier. Max has been known to wait until no one is looking and then spit out the pacifier and put his fist in his mouth. He is getting really good at finding his thumb on his hand and seems to think it tastes pretty good. He has outgrown his bassinet and has to sleep in a little chair at nighttime. Max isn't quite ready to sleep in his crib at night but he did take his first nap in it. His favorite place to sleep though is still his swing.

Stacey and Marc made the trip to Virginia to meet Max and he had a great time hanging out with them for a weekend. Max also went to his very first play date this month. His mom joined a local mom's group and Max got to meet some other babies his age. He has upgraded his car to a much larger, more comfortable ride as well. His dad drove to Ohio to get a Honda Pilot in place of the old Honda Civic his mom used to drive. Max has much more room in the backseat now. Since getting a new car and getting his acid reflux under control he has been to a few restaurants, went to work with his mom and went out on more errands. Of course, all of this was done after he survived the two blizzards that hit the DC area in February. What a busy month .

Check out the video below of Max trying to suck his thumb.

One Month Old

Max turns one month old this week. He has had a very busy month so far. He is getting very big and has already outgrown his horse outfit - it was one of his favorites. At the two week check up he had gained over a pound and weighed 7lbs 1 oz. The doctor was amazed at how strong he is. From the time he came home from the hospital he has been able to hold his head up and has a very strong grip. It's a good thing he is so strong because he does not like tummy time very much. Usually after a few minutes of tummy time he gets mad and wants to be done with it. He is beginning to focus on people and things and likes to look at his surroundings. Some of Max's favorite activites include eating (a lot), sleeping, watching his mobile go around, listening to music, reading books and swinging in his swing. We have had a couple of big outings in the past week and he handled them very well. He even got to go to mom's school and meet the staff and students. Below is a video of Max and his mobile.

Max's Birthday - January 4, 2010

Maxwell James Harkey was born at 2:52 pm on Monday, January 4, 2010 - 6 lbs 12 oz, 19.25 inches. We arrived at the hospital a little before midnight so it was quite a long day for mom. By the time Max was ready, the room was full of nurses and doctors...at least ten were there. Max had a small temperature (101.8) and so the pediatrician watched closely and did some blood work. Everything came back fine and we were sent home on Wednesday morning. The first night home was quite an experience. The little man did just fine, but his dad needs to work on controlling his panic everytime the little man sneezes or grunts (or moves for that matter).

On Thursday he went for his first doctor's visit since leaving the hospital. Max didn't have jaundice or anything, but he did start losing weight...a little more than normal. So for the first week or so, he had an extra bottle of formula. Because his weight dropped so much (he was at 5 lbs 15 oz), they asked us to come back the following day. Overnight the guy put on 4.5 oz. He's quite the eater when given the opportunity. The doctors told us everything was fine at that point and to come back for our his standard two week check up.