So the story goes like this…Scotts dad wanted to name Scott Sharky so his mom said that they would compromise and call him it is a nick name but when they saw how cute he was..they said that he could not be a Sharky.

Well Max is Sharky.  I know this because of the looks he gives when he knows he should not be doing that such as

 1. Dropping food to the floor from his high chair

2. Pulling wires behind the computer

3. Pulling the wireless router of of the wall.

4. Pulling glasses of water off night stands.

I know these things sound very minor but the looks could kill ya. He looks at you with these big blue eyes and then smirks and then smiles and then laughs.

The big question is whether to say NO or this is not for Max and Max can play with his toys. I am leaning towards this is not for Max but things that can hurt him saying NO. But I do not want to be that MOM that sayd NO constantly because he is just exploring and that is what babies do. I am reading about a book about this stuff right now and it is complicated. I know I have always gone with my intuition but I have always felt comfortable reading books, talking to Daphne Goldberg (his Pediatrician) and then of course talking about it with Scott.

What are your thoughts on saying NO?

Max has refused for the past month to be fed by a spoon. At first I thought it was the food and so I changed his food and then I started to make it homemade again but that did not work. Bottom line-he did not want to be fed by anyone but himself.

 So this leaves me in a tough spot because he has my food intolerances and allergies. He does not eat wheat, gluten, dairy, soy, yeast or corn but he does eat oatmeal which tends to have some gluten.

I am hoping that he will over time grow out of some of these allergies. I don’t think he will ever grow out of dairy or yeast since I am allergic to them but hopefully the others. When he eats the others, he has a tough time sleeping, he farts, he has a belly ache, burps etc.

 So here are the foods I have been trying:

1. Nitrate free chicken and turkey hotdogs

2. Nitrate free chicken and turkey slices

3. Veggies: peas, carrots, Broccoli (he just ate that last night and loved it).

4. Gluten free, wheat and dairy free breakfast bars

5. Raisins and Prunes for Iron

6. Wheat, Dairy and Gluten free waffles

7. Fruit: Every kind of fruit (frozen or fresh)

So that is it and it seems to work. Max is just like his Dad because he is so happy eating pretty much the same thing everyday but I am making sure I introduce lots of different stuff for texture and taste.

Last night Stan’s new family picked him up. It was really tough for all of us. I had tears streaming down my face. My hubby walked Stan out to his new owners car and when he came back his eyes were red and he was crying. I have only seen my hubby cry once-when he was watching TV and knew a mother who had lost her son in 9/11 and they were doing a memorial for him. I turned and saw Scott crying. Last night it was time to let go. My hubby and I sat in the kitchen hugging each other and telling Esther she was a good girl. I made both of us a cup of tea and we sat at the table talking about all our memories of Stan. We laughed and we talked and we also talked about how this was best for our family. We could not take a chance that Stan would hurt the baby or another kid down the line. But it was sad and hard and we will miss Stan. Today Stan is the KIng again and the only child and I know this is what he wanted. So I am happy that we were able to find such a wonderful family for him. I am sure it is harder for the human than the dog. But I and my family will always remember our first child, Stan. Happy Gobble Gobble!! 

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First Juice Box 11/2007, originally uploaded by Maxsmom.

My dearest boy,

You are 11 months today. Wow! Where has the time gone? You used to be so small and quiet and now you are a big boy and babbling non stop. You are almost 30 inches and almost 21 1/2 pounds. When you were born you were only 20 inches and 6 pounds 15 ounces. You were so little.

Anyway, you have had so many firsts this month. Lets talk sleep first. You now sleep from 7 pm till 5 am without even waking up. WOW!! Holy Cow! Your mommy is actually sleeping now. You were a quick learner and Mommy and Daddy helped you to fall in love with your bed. I rock you until you look sleepy ans then I put you in your bed and watch your projector sound machine and listen to music. As for your sleeping, you sometimes fall asleep sitting up, you roll around and eventually fall asleep on your tummy and you love to fall asleep with your head on the bumper. You are a cute sleeper.

You also have been going to many different fun places with Shannon, the Super Baby Sitter. You went to the firehouse to see the fire trucks and to Chuckee Cheese and to the mall and to the park and well, you have really become a social little guy.

We also had our first play dates this month with Leo and another one with Lexi from music class. We had a great time. Leo was a little feisty and you looked at him like he was crazy but Lexi was more gentle and you liked that.

You have become best friends with Esther, our princess pug. She loves you so much because you love to feed her. Esther now eats raisins, celery, turkey, blueberries and anything else that comes her way off of your high chair. You love turkey slices but only the slices from whole foods but not the slices from the deli-the slices by Applebrook farms.

As for your development, you van now clap your hands and you have begun to wave good bye and hello and you have started to point. You have also learned to suck from a straw. Wow..so much has happened.

You still lean your head forward when I say kiss and you even open your mouth to my cheek. When I say hug, you give me a big hug too.

You are a great boy and such a loving boy too. As always Maxie, Thanks for letting me be your momma. Happy 11 months! The thought of you being born still brings tears to my eyes. I love you.

Make a smoothie or a milk shake. Take either breast milk, formula or rice milk and then add the vitamins or medicine and shake. If you want a smoothie-then add ice cubes or frozen fruit and blend till desired smoothy texture. Max loves his vitamins but I figured I would experiment and give him a milk shake. He loved it. He just learned how to suck from a straw so a smoothie is next.

I thought of this because he has been taking chinese herbs for his ear aches. In chinese medicine, it is believed that ear aches are damp heat. So if you get the heat out then there will be no ear ache. Very interesting. Even though Max has no ear ache to the common Western doctor, I know that he has some fluid because he will wake up every 3 hours. If he takes his herbs, then he sleeps for at least 8 or 9 hours. Now he will not have to take the herbs forever but just for now-to clear up the damp heat and the fluid. Why do some kids and adults have damp heat? Who knows..hereditary??