..and a Happy New Year!

So long 2009, welcome 2010!

Merry Christmas

Hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas!

-James, Bobbie Jo, and Max

Chicken Nugget

Max has been a bit finicky with his food. He's only 2 months shy of his 2nd birthday, yet a large portion of what he will eat still comes from baby food jars.

We've gotten him to eat some things (bagels, PB&J, american cheese), and he's cool with most fruits (tried an orange for the first time this weekend), but he just won't eat "dinner-type foods".

He's seemed interested, but just won't eat any of them.
NOTE: Yes, we've tried hot dogs, pizza, nuggets, and all of the food that kids just "love". No luck until today.

Today, I got Max to eat 3 McDonald's chicken nuggets (I think that it helped that in order to get him excited we sang a "Chicken Nugget Song" all the way from Micky D's to the house). He dipped them in honey, made an enormous mess, and enjoyed every last crumb.

I need to start working on a "Hot Dog Song"!

The annual "Where did 20XX go?" post

WOW! Where did 2009 go? It's been a quick one. Christmas is Friday, and New Years the Friday after that.

2009 was very busy. Max became mobile, and got into everything. He grew from a baby into a little boy. I've juggled school, work and parenthood, while Bobbie Jo juggled even more along with taking care of two very needy boys. Sometimes I wondered how we were going to make it through it.

2010 will be a big year, we're excited to see what it will bring.

For the second year I will be flying to Las Vegas on Jan. 1 for the Consumer Electronics Show. I'll be gone for 8 days, returning on Jan 9. Bobbie Jo's folks have graciously offered to watch Max both weekends (THANKS A MILLION!!).

Jumpin' on the bed

Kiddies-
This is what happens when you jump on the bed.

Forehead + footboard = OUCH!

Playing in the Snow

On Saturday I bundled Max up for some adventures in the snow. He'd never played in the snow before and I wasn't sure what to expect.


He was quite apprehensive, he doesn't like walking on uneven ground. He was happiest sitting in the snow and pointing out things for me to throw snowballs at.

He kept his hat and mittens on the whole time, so I'd say he did pretty well. He'll be running around in it in no time.

A Max Primer

I never understood how parents knew what their kids were saying. Now, I get it.

For those who may need to care for our child, I have compiled a list of Max's words and their normal English translations.

ä-pōō-ä - airplane
bŭp - puff (puffed snack thingy)
bĭk-ēē - Craisin (cranberry raisin), or Mickey (Mouse).
doo-doo - Spiderman*
dä-doo - Cheerio
dee-tee - Sesame (Street)
duhmp-ŭp - "Jump Up", his favorite song
gä - flag
gä-gōō - cracker
gä-gōōf - color, draw, or write on something. Or crayon, chalk, or pen.
moo-nee - (Handy) Manny, a tv show.
non-ee - naughty
tŏp-īte - stoplight (or sometimes stop sign)

These are the words that will most frequently trip people up. Most other words (eat, elmo, cookie (snack and monster), juice, (m)ilk, pee, poop, book, etc.) mean what you think they would mean.

I will update this list as necessary.
Hope this helps.

-j

*My next post will explain the origin of "doo-do".

First Snow (sorta)

As I was getting ready to leave for "Poker Weekend", I got a few pictures of Max seeing snow for the first time (he wouldn't have understood it last year).

Emma 1999-2009

Bobbie Jo and I have just returned home from putting our cat Emma to sleep. It was the most difficult thing that either of us have ever had to do. She was a crabby kitty, but we loved her very much. She will be greatly missed.

In January of 2000, after a particularly bad 1999, I felt the need for some companionship. On January 15, Emma (named for the cage "M-4" that she was rescued from)came home to my studio apartment to live with me.

We've been through a lot together. She was with me as I moved into the house that later became the first house I owned. When I met Bobbie Jo, got married, moved to our new house, and brought baby Max home from the hospital- she was always waiting for us at home. Many things changed, but Emma was always the constant.

She grew fatter over the years, and crankier. She suffered from health problems for as long as we can remember. Bobbie Jo and I remember crying while force-feeding her on the kitchen floor of our old house. She had no energy from not eating in a week, and was at death's door.

I don't know that she was terribly thrilled when Max became mobile. She was always gentle around him, though usually scurrying away if she was able. Max called her (and most cats) "emma", who knows how long that will last. It's too bad he probably won't remember her when he gets older.

Emma was my first real pet, and I will never forget her.
We love you Emma B, you will be missed.

So many things happening.

In this time of information; blogs, digital photos, video, facebook, twitter, email, and countless other ways of communication, sometimes I feel like I'm losing the battle.

There are so many things happening as Max grows, and I feel terrible when I don't document all of those tiny milestones in one way or another. I've written, taken photos, and videos of many of them, but I feel like I need to work harder at it.

But, I realize that this has got to be common amongst all new parents, as their kids grow at rates they never thought possible. I have kept better 'notes' than most, and there just isn't time to be 100%. I guess I'm pretty happy with the record that we are creating.

As this is being written on Thanksgiving, I couldn't make it without mention of the many things I have to be thankful for. I have a wonderful caring family, fantastic friends, the best wife a man could ask for, and a son that cannot be described with words.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving. Thanks for reading.