updates!:)

My goodness, I haven't been on here in awhile! It would be impossible to fill in all the details of the last few months so I think I'll just run through some quick updates.:)

Maxfield update:
This guy makes the world a better place.:) It's hard to believe how quickly the last 10 and a half months of gone. My little man is closing in on a year old. He loves life and seems to have quite a sense of humor. He laughs and still smiles all the time and generally charms most people he crosses paths with. It's next to impossible for me to make it through the grocery store or anywhere else without having to stop for ladies to chat with him-- as usual, he gives them a winning smile.:)

Max continues to be a chatterbox! (As Luke and I are his parents, we cannot for the life of us figure out where that came from.:) He seriously talks like 92.3% of the time that he is awake. I keep trying to convince him to say "ma-ma", which usually results in him laughing at me and giving me an ornery smile. What a little pistol. When he figured out how to stand up, his joy was (for the moment) complete. He now spends a lot of time standing up and cruising around furniture and has just recently learned to climb stairs. I believe walking is in the all to near future. I don't think there is a still bone in this kids body. Cuddling is not one of his fortes.:)

Max overall likes eating, but is definitely a bit picky and likes things a certain temperature.:) His favorite foods seem to be avocado, banana and sweet potatoes. Applesauce is somehow one of his extreme dislikes. Even if I try to mix it in with his beloved cereal, he immediately sniffs it out and will have nothing to do with it. He's becoming more independent all the time and has recently decided to feed his bottles to himself. We are kind of on a half breastfeeding, half formula plan these days, so he has ample opportunity to practice his bottle feeding skills.:) He also LOVES drinking water and finally learned how to use a sippy cup-- a new favorite object.

He loves playing, but prefers for it to involve anything that is not generally considered a toy. Remotes and cell phones seem to be particularly attractive "playthings".:) He absolutely loves doing patty-cake and cannot resist the urge to clap his hands together once you start the rhyme. He's also learned to high-five (courtesy of aunt Marge:) and wave goodbye. Both of which are adorable.:) Books have become a favorite and one of the few things to cause him to sit still and relax for a minute. This of course makes my heart very happy.:) He doesn't always have the patience to be read to, but loves turning the pages and looking through them.

For the most part he is an excellent sleeper. There are, of course, teething incidents etc that cause disrupted sleep, but most nights he goes to bed without too much fuss and sleeps straight through the night for about 10-12 hours. He has us so spoiled, that when the bad nights come along we are completely out of practice and put off guard by the whole thing.:)

Here are a couple recent pictures of the man himself:



Life update:
Life feels insanely busy. I imagine that will just always be the case and I should probably get used to it.:) We are house-hunting in earnest these days. This is an exciting, overwhelming and frustrating experience all in one.:) We are excited about being homeowners and settling in somewhere, but definitely looking forward to this process being over and having the paperwork complete.

I'm still working 3 days a week at the bookstore. It is our goal in the near-ish future for me to be done working there, so we are working on making that happen. It has been a great job, but we feel like it's time for me to be home more and to not have to work weekends and be able to focus more on my kiddo and my art. To that end I have started teaching a few art classes here and there. Teaching art is not necessarily my passion or my particular gift, but I know that I am capable and it's a good way to pass on the knowledge I have acquired. (not to mention it's one of the few ways to consistently make money as a fine artist:).

Things at my studio are good. A couple of years ago I started doing small paintings/illustrations on book covers that I salvaged from the trash at work. Little did I know these would pretty much pay my studio rent every month. I'm able to sell them fairly cheap because they are very inexpensive and relatively quick to make and they seem to be pretty popular. I currently have a couple of book cover pieces that I manipulated with a scroll saw and painted on in the "Put a Bird on it" gallery show at the Harrison. I still do more traditional work as well, but I've enjoyed discovering different ways to use book covers. It's a natural progression of my love of both literature and painting. Most of the covers are from reader's digest condensed books, which I don't feel too bad about destroying.:)

Luke and I will be celebrating our 5th anniversary this weekend. I can't believe it! What a crazy 5 years it has been. We've learned and grown a great deal and shared lots of tears, laughs and love. I'm so thankful for the perfect man for me and for a great father for our son. This weekend we are getting away to Chicago for an overnight while Max stays with my parents. I'm looking forward to it!

Here's a couple of more recent book cover paintings (you'll have to excuse the lack of editing of these photos):

It's hard to tell from the photo, but this bird cage one is actually about 3 feet from the top of the chain to the bird.

Movie update:

With the recent Academy Awards, we have been on a new movie binge around here.:) So here's 5 second reviews/opinions of the newest movies I've seen (these don't really include plot line):

"the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"-- I enjoyed the Swedish version and was wary of an American remake until I heard David Fincher was at the helm. Very well done! Rooney Mara played Lisbeth Salander excellently and overall the story line followed the book pretty closely, although in a somewhat simplified way. The ending was slightly different, but not in a way that bothered me or really changed things. Having read the books and seen the movies I can't really recommend seeing the films unless you have read the book first. They deal with some pretty hardcore stuff that I think is best to be prepared for before seeing it.

"Drive"-- I really liked this movie- and not just because it included Ryan Gosling.:) It had a sort of 80s grunge/b movie feel to it in an awesome sort of way. I can't exactly put a finger on why I liked it so much, but I really dug it. There was something badass about it that got me pumped.:)

"the Artist"-- probably my top recommendation out of all of these. This film is brilliant! As a new silent film in black a white, I could not have been more excited about it and I was far from disappointed. It was a bold and wonderful way to make a movie. The story is simple, but great and includes both drama and comedy. It really adopted the feel of an old silent film.

"Moneyball"-- This movie was very well done and very well acted. As a true story, it's quite fascinating- especially for being about baseball.:) I found myself wanting to read the book as I'm sure it would include even more of some of those interesting statistical details.

"Tree of Life"-- this is a very cinematic movie. Some people found it pretentious and it seemed that most reviewers truly loved it or truly hated it. I'm in the mostly loved it camp. It's not so much a movie as a work of art, though, which puts it at a different level and I understand why a lot of people didn't care for it. If you like cinematography, interesting framing of scenes and ethereal cosmological effects, you'll probably enjoy it. It is long though, and I don't think it was a perfect movie. It is beautiful, though.

"50/50"-- Great movie! It's about a very serious subject (cancer), but balances the drama with the comedy extremely well. The background of the movie is quite interesting as it is based on the true life experience Seth Rogan had of supporting his friend in his battle with cancer. Basically Seth Rogan plays Seth Rogan. And he does it well.:) Joseph Gordon-Levitt is also great in this movie.

"Hugo"-- What a beautiful movie!! Although this was somewhat geared towards kids and is based off of a young adult novel, I think most adults would find it appealing. It is very artistic and the movie is beautiful to watch (I loved the coloration of the whole film!). The references and snippets of old silent movies also made my heart very happy.:) I highly recommend this one!

I would like to try and blog more frequently, but really don't have much extra time these days, so no promises.:)

Giving Thanks

Well, Thanksgiving day has come and gone, but I'm still feeling the warmth and joy of one of my favorite holidays.:) I love that we have a holiday set aside to reflect with thanks on the past year and to gather with family to celebrate God's goodness in our lives. I am not always good about focusing on the positives, but when I take time out to consider the many blessings in my life I am overwhelmed at God's goodness.

This year I am of course particularly grateful for the beautiful baby boy God brought into our family back in April. Maxfield brings incredible joy and love into our lives and being a mom is by far the awesomest thing I have ever done. I am also so thankful for Luke; he is such a loving and caring husband and I love growing up and growing more in love with him each year. God has blessed both of us with good jobs that provide for both our basic needs as well as a few extras-- this is something we have learned not to take for granted. I am also grateful for the opportunities God has given me through my art this year; He provides me with chances to exercise my talent even when I least expect it. And I am extremely thankful for my amazing family and friends. I am truly blessed!

monopoly man

I just have to share a few photos of Max dressed up for halloween. I'm still cracking up about him.:) I didn't really put much thought into his costume and wouldn't have really worried about going trick or treating, but Alaina invited us to tag along with them and it sounded like fun. I had purchased this one piece tuxedo outfit for Max for $1 at a second hand kids store and thought it was funny and when Alaina bought mustaches for her boys, I knew Max had to have one.:) The consensus after the fact was that he looked like the monopoly guy. I think he was a bit nonplussed by the whole situation, but put up with it quite well. Who knows what was running through his head about his crazy mother.:)

Before the mustache-- adorable as always.:)

working out the mustache "kinks":)

visiting Noni at work. not the most cooperative picture.:)

the completed "look":)

tuckered out. i love how serious he looks here.:)

max!:)

I think this picture not only sums up Max, but also life the past several months-- funny, happy and just a touch of crazy.:) Seriously, this guy rocks my world. I can't believe he is 6 months old already! He is not quite crawling yet, although he clearly wants to.:) He does a lot of scooting and rolling and I find myself having to watch him a lot more closely. This kiddo is beyond active and I know him becoming mobile means I will be getting next to nothing done around here.:)

I'm still working 3 days a week which means he gets to spend an afternoon with Grandma N., a day with Aunt Alaina and 3 awesome cousins and then Saturdays with daddy. I think he is pleased with this arrangement.:) He is quite the happy kid. And quite the charmer; at Meijer the other day I had to stop and have several conversations with old ladies about him- all of whom he graced with his adorable smile.:)

Max is quite the chatterbox these days. Actually he's always been a chatterbox. He loves using his voice. He uses lots of different sounds and inflections. I'm pretty sure he truly believes he is communicating.:) He has also more recently added shrieking to his vocal repertoire. Not my favorite addition as it comes into play both when he is happy and when he is mad, meaning there is lots of shrieking in this household.:) (and sometimes in church).

A few weeks ago we had Maxfield baptized. This was an exciting and sobering occasion. It is awesome to dedicate Max and our raising of him before God and the church. It also brought home to us even more the reality of raising our son up in a Christian home and of the great and joyous task we have undertaken. He, of course, was quite the ham in front of church. He doesn't mind being the center of attention.:) I think he was feeling quite well dressed:

A couple weeks ago we took Max on his second camping trip in his 6 months of life. We camped at Clifty Falls. He did pretty well. It was quite cold at night, so he slept with us most of the nights (which I think made him quite pleased with himself). We enjoyed great weather during the day and were able to do a little hiking, some walking around Madison and some relaxing. We went with our friends who have a 10 month old and I think our boys wondered from time to time what possessed their crazy parents to take them camping. Overall (despite some lack of sleep) it was a great time.:) Here is Max all bundled up sleeping out camping:

And because I never tire of the adorableness of a sleeping baby here are some other sleeping Max pictures:)

At the beginning of October Luke had a business trip to Cincinnati for some training so Max and I tagged along. It was nice to get away just for a bit. We visited Newport on the Levee and I got to go to Ikea with Marge and we all went to Jungle Jim's international grocery store (which is awesome, by the way:). I also got to watch cable in the hotel. Having not had cable for a few years now, I get excited to watch TLC and the Food Network and Lifetime.:)

Another highlight of this month is that about 2 weeks ago Max's cousin Owen was born. The boys are about 5 1/2 months apart, which will be lots of fun (and possibly lots of trouble in the very near future:). Here Max is meeting his new cousin:

All in all life has been good. Busy and crazy, but good. We're starting to gear up for the holidays both at work and at home, which I always get super excited about (except for the work part of it.:) I have every intention of being a better blogger, but no promises.:) I will leave you with this picture:

the kid can roll

As of a few days ago, the kid can roll over. This is awesome. Only problem is that although he is capable of rolling back onto his back (I've seen him do it more than once) he usually gets too worked up to do so. Since he hates tummy time, this has led to quite a few frustrated tears. I eventually go and roll him back over. He then repeats the process. Although I'm sure he doesn't think it's funny, it's slightly amusing. It's also not as easy to get things done as it used to be...:)

Man, I love this kid.:)

Max adventures

How can my little man be almost 3 months old already?!

When did this change happen?:)

I will not lie and say this has all been easy, (in fact probably at least the first 5 or 6 weeks I wondered what the heck I had gotten myself into:) but Max really does make being a parent a pretty awesome experience. We have loved our little guy more than we ever could describe or imagine from the very beginning and getting to know him and his personality more every day is an absolute joy. It has definitely taken awhile for me to feel like a human being again, but Luke has been an incredible support and a terrific dad. Between breastfeeding challenges, health challenges and lack of sleep the first few weeks were hard especially while I was still recovering from the C-section. The past month or so, though, we have kind of gotten into the swing of things and are starting to have a slightly more established and reliable schedule.:) I started back to work part time last week and so far that has been going pretty well.

It's been fun to see Max's personality evolving. This kid loves to smile and is quite a laid back and happy fellow. He is an incredibly good sleeper and has become a good eater.:) He's been sleeping 8-10 hours at night, which has been so awesome and usually only wants to eat about every 4 hours during the day. When we got the go ahead to let him sleep as long as he wanted and to let him tell us when he's hungry, I was thrilled because I had been having to set an alarm to wake him up every 2ish hours. And trying to nurse a baby that is basically still asleep is no fun especially when you want to be asleep yourself.:) I could tell he was going to be a good sleeper (pretty sure he gets that from his dad:). It's funny how your entire world becomes wrapped up in and revolves around this tiny person. But at the same time you absolutely wouldn't have it any other way.:)

I'm sure he wonders what kind of crazy world he was born into (or maybe just what crazy parents he was born to:) as here are a few of the activities we have engaged in over the past few months:

Bath time:

This may not sound extreme, but someone was not a fan of bath time the first few times. Although you would never know that now that he has discovered he can splash.:)

Photo Shoot:

My sister-in-law Christy does photography and took some great photos of Max. He cooperated when he was alseep.:)

Concert:

At a month and a half, Maxfield attended his first (probably of many:) music and arts fest. We hung out all day in and out of my studio and the Harrison Center and got to stay and hear "company of thieves" in the evening. He was great! (Although he did cat nap a bit during the show:) He also got to rock his Ramones t-shirt that Luke and I picked out for him just a few weeks before his birth.

Swimming:

As with bath time, he was unsure about this initially and opted for pretending to sleep anytime I put his feet in the water. This eventually led to him actually sleeping and so our first couple of attempts at the pool were unsuccessful. More recently, though, he actually started smiling at the pool. I perceive this as approval.:)

Camping:

Max got to experience camping for the first time over the 4th of July. We had a big family camping trip, which was tons of fun. Max did great. I'm sure it helped that there were lots of aunts and uncles there to give him extra love. By the look of this picture, we apparently wore him out.:)

He also got to go on his first boat ride at the lake house we stayed at with Luke's family, but I failed to get a photo of him in his life jacket.:) I'm sure there will be many more adventures in the near future. Clearly we have been busy the past few months. Max is an absolute trooper and acclimates well to just about anything. He is growing and changing so fast already. I just want to enjoy every moment with him and for him to always know how much he is loved.

week by week

I promise to update more later, but just wanted to share these week by week photos of Maxfield's first 8 weeks. This little guy is one happy, growing boy. We are loving having him around.:) Of course how can you not love this face?!:)