Teething...are you kidding me?!

We bought this crib toward the end of May 2008. Maximus (aka "baby shark") has chewed all over it! We bought the plastic guards last weekend and I think we're going to have to refinish it. It looks like it's been passed down from generation to generation, but it's only 5 months old. Rats.

His first step

...should be happening very soon!

"Teef"

Who needs toys?

...when you have dvds?
It's cool that he doesn't like to watch tv and would rather play with the cases.

A much neeeded date night

We finally went on a date! We weren't itching to go out, but we realized that it'd be a good opportunity to have a few hours to ourselves. Jesse's parents watched Maximus while we drove to Lincoln to see Jesse's brothers band play.

I think the hardest part was the thought of being 80 miles away and allowing someone else to perform Maximus' "3 B's" (bath, bottle and bed). I've never been away from him for more than an hour and his night time routine is nearly sacred to me. We watched The Hand Me Down Kids play (and they sound really good live and totally know how to rock out) and we went to dinner. We shared one of my favorite dishes- escargot...mmm! Jesse pointed out that it was one of the few times in a restaurant that we weren't busy feeding Max vegetables or Organic O's.

After dinner, our plan was to visit a few of the many unique bars on "O Street". But as we walked away from the restaurant, we realized how much we missed our little Handsomer and we headed home instead. We got home around 11pm and heard what a good boy Max was for Jesse's parents. He got to play, go to the park, color on the walls and eat chocolate cake for dinner. (Well, minus the coloring and cake eating, he was still spoiled by Vicki and Dan) The 3 B's went smoothly and he was sound asleep.

I can't believe how much we missed Handsomer! We were gone for about 5 hours and I think we talked about him 98% of the time. It was a great evening and I'm glad we were able to go.

Is that a standing baby?!

He's not a baby and yes he's really standing! He's not using any support at all! I was finally able to get pictures of him in the act. Yes, that's a cord in his mouth and no, he's not wearing pants. But hell, he's standing! He'll stand and look around for about 15 seconds and we're so proud.

Cute butt

Look at this cute little butt! His pants are sagging because his waist is so tiny and his jeans are sized at 3 months! (He'll be 9 months November 1st) But he wears a 9-12 month size up top...our guess is he'll be a muscle man or something.

Handsomer²

He can spell!

...well, he had dad's help but I think Max will be able to read next week sometime.

But, he is standing by himself (without support) for about 10 seconds! It's amazing!

How I love baby winter gear

Baby winter gear rocks! Handsomer may have earflap hats for every day this winter. I hate to think how giant his wardrobe would be if we lived in a city with decent stores. Unfortunately, we only have Wal-Mierda (shit en espanol) and Dillards and we only go to Omaha about once a month. Jesse goes more nuts in Baby Gap than I do.

The "supergrain" of the future

This stuff is awesome! It tastes wonderful and you can flavor it any way you want. It's super light and isn't sticky or heavy like other grains. It's so easy to digest and it's great for infants and children. Quinoa (pronounced keen-wa) has over twice the protein of any other grain AND it's a complete protein high in the amino acids lysine, methionine and cystine. Like this means anything to anyone, but I don't care because I freakin' love this stuff!
...and if anyone cares, I have a bunch of damn tasty and healthy recipes...

Ready for the snow

He loves the mittens! I thought he'd yank them off, but he giggled as he crawled around with them on last night. I guess he's ready for the -20 winters here in Nebraska. Yuck.

I love doing laundry

...when there's a load like this one.

The four

Four places I've lived:
1. Salt Lake City, Utah (miss it!)
2. Grand Island, Nebraska
3. Pueblo, Colorado (yuck)
4. Pasadena, California

Four jobs I've had:
1. Barista at Starbucks
2. Employment Manager at Hilton
3. Human Resources Manager at the JSMB
4. Sous Chef with Gastronomy

Four things I'd like to do before I die:
1. Watch Maximus become a father himself
2. Visit Greece, Spain, India and Africa
3. Finish tattooing both arms
4. Design my own kitchen

Four favorite desserts:
1. Dark chocolate on pretty much anything
2. Sabayon sauce over fresh fruit
3. Dark chocolate and cherry souffle
4. Oranges

Four interesting facts about me:
1. I can shuck oysters with my eyes closed
2. I've been playing the piano since age 4
3. I've never broken a bone (sorry Starr, I stole that one from you along with these questions)
4. I've been cancer free for 4 years

Four favorite tv shows:
1. Big Love
2. The Office
3. The original BBC What Not to Wear
4. My Name is Earl

Four things I'd do if I were a millionaire:
1. Finish paying for Maximus' college tuition
2. Design and construct a home in Millcreek Canyon
3. Work part time with a non-profit organization when Max starts school
4. Increase my wardrobe and stemware collection...and get breast implants!

Pictures I love

One week...

Five weeks...

Three & a half months...

Five months...

Eight months...

High fructose corn syrup?! GO ORGANIC!!!

Have you seen those commercials about how high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) really isn't bad for you if consumed in moderation?! BULLSHIT!!! These commercials are complete shit and Jesse and I get furious when we see the false advertising!

HFCS isn't natural! Your body can't even break it down properly and it just leaves you feeling hungry. It causes health problems! Dr. Field said, "every cell in the body can metabolize glucose. However, all fructose must be metabolized in the liver. The livers of the rats on the high fructose diet looked like the livers of alcoholics, plugged with fat and cirrhotic."

Sadly, HFCS is found in more than half of the foods we consume. It's cheaper than sugar and it's produced right here in the "cornbelt".

So, why wouldn't you go organic? Sure, it's a little more expensive, but your body will thank you later. If I can find organic food here in this tiny "cornbelt" town, you can go organic in the larger city in which you live.

Get one

We can't live without this thing. It's the best. Jesse takes 2 hard boiled eggs every morning to work, so this product makes it incredibly easy. Not that hard boiling eggs is a culinary challenge, it's just so convenient. I like soft boiled eggs on toast and the Cuisinart Egg Cooker cooks them perfectly!

And you should buy cage-free eggs and enjoy them with whole wheat toast. But read the ingredient label and don't buy bread that contains added sugar!

Tornado alley!

We moved to Grand Island, Nebraska in April. Two weeks after moving here, we were hit with 2 tornadoes! I guess 2008 was the worst tornado season since 1980.

I was home when the first tornado hit. Jesse was driving home from work RIGHT IN THE PATH!!! The tornado was coming up I-80, going to cross Highway 281 and it was headed directly to Grand Island. Jesse was driving on 281 and about to cross I-80. The tornado horns were screaming, the skies were black, the hail was deafening and I had a sick child. (He wasn't sick, he got his shots that day and was acting under the weather) The Directv signal went out, so I was listening to the alerts on the radio. I remember hearing the announcer say, "people in or around Grand Island, take shelter immediately. If you are in a vehicle, pull over and lay in a ditch. I repeat, take shelter immediately!" I grabbed Maximus, the two dogs, Max's Tylenol and blankets and took shelter in the walk-in closet.

The tornado ended up JUMPING over Highway 281 and Jesse made it home safely. We left our house and went to a storm shelter down the street and waited it out.

I'd rather deal with the 6.0 earthquakes I've been through than another tornado. They suck. Literally.

Picture of the tornado I was talking about...


And the damage it caused...

Team Terror

My two girls: Jacqueline and Claire. I've had Jackie for about 5 years and we adopted Claire in April. Jacqueline was rescued from a junkyard in Kearns. She was living underneath a semi-truck and was very, very sick. When I brought her home, she didn't move from my bed for a week and I had to carry her to her food and to go outside. She still has a cough because the vet believes she was hit in the face by her previous owner.

Claire came from a couple of friends we had in Colorado and she spent most of her life in an unfinished basement. It was sad and no way for a hyper Jack Russell to spend her days. Claire is so, so fat! She should weigh what Jackie does (15 pounds) but she's weighing in at 25 pounds. Claire attacked an inspector who walked into our home one morning. Max was laying on the floor and she circled around him and bit the inspector. Go Claire!

Jacqueline and Claire are totally nuts. They have a love hate relationship. They'll be fighting one minute and having make up sex the next. They're a good team though and I love my girls.

The arrival of Maximus Lane "Handsomer" Sherwood - February 1, 2008

"Handsomer" is Maximus' nickname. I used to say that each nap made him handsomer and handsomer, so that' s what I've been calling him.

Maximus was born February 1st, 2008. It's funny, we weren't really trying to get pregnant, we just thought about it and decided that we wouldn't prevent it any longer. Any what do ya know? I already was!

I'll be honest...the nine months sucked. I'm definitely not one of those freaks who "enjoys" being pregnant. No way. I was sick, exhausted, gaining a mess of weight, experiencing heartburn for the first time, not sleeping well and just miserable.

Max was born seven days early because I had pre-ecplampsia. I remember getting an epidural, but I don't think it worked because I felt everything. My friend told me that she didn't even know when her daughter came out because her epidural was working so well. Lucky bitch!

They pulled Max out and he wasn't breathing. I barely remember Dr. Laurel saying, "sorry dad, you're not going to be able to cut the cord" but I do remember seeing her smaking Max's butt and saying, "c'mon and breathe for us, buddy". He finally started breathing and I heard his faint cry. It was the biggest relief I've ever experienced. 6 lbs. 12 ounces and 19 inches long.

Jesse and Stacey

We met in a bar. Liquid Joe's in Salt Lake City, to be exact. But we fell in love quickly and moved in together. I think we're a damn good looking couple...

First time

Rather than keeping a journal, I thought I'd post random blogs instead! And it's almost as private as journal because I'm thinking only three people will be reading...