Old photos

I came across a box of old pictures...

This is my best friend, Heather. She goes by "Squared" in our circle.

Here we are again, at my old condo at The Gateway. That place was awesome-it was a condo on the top floor that had a wrap around balcony that looked down into The Gateway...when it was trendy and cool to have a condo there. And wrist warmers were pretty rad then, too.
This is one of my closest friends, Stephan. That's "Special" behind us and I think we're at Port O'Call in 2003ish.

I think this is 2004 when I was working at Hilton. This is with my HR assistant, Sanela, at our holiday party. I was just starting chemotherapy again.

Aw...my gay favorites-Randy and Mondo. I miss them and my other friends so much sometimes. This is a couple years later...after chemo. Notice how my eyebrows changed-chemotherapy made them fall out COMPLETELY!
I think this is 2002ish. I loved my hair in this one! I'm a bit buzzed at a "pimp and ho" party with a bunch of gay guys.
Ma'am's wedding in 2005. Julie, me, Charissa and Megan.

Family of Greeks. I'm guessing 2000.

...there are many more photos that I want to scan and upload. To be continued...

Busted!

He's learning to follow directions...

Thanksgiving

What a wonderful day! This was the first Thanksgiving we held at our house. It was also Maximus' first Thanksgiving and he had a blast entertaining everyone with his walking skills. We planned to have Jesse's parents, his brothers and their guests and three additional Jack Russells over that afternoon. We got up at 8am (not too early) to prepare. While Jesse located a large table cloth and built a fence to contain a herd of dogs, I prepared side dishes. Thankfully, Vicki was preparing turkey, smoked ham, a duck AND baking the sweets. Jesse's youngest brother (Fletcher) and his friend (Lamoni-we call him "Mo") showed up first and successfully ate half of the spinach artichoke dip I made just 5 minutes prior. Here's Fletch showing his love for some damn good cookies his mom makes...

Of course Maximus receives a gift whenever Vicki and Dan show up. This gift was a cool little wagon.

Here's our table of side dishes. The island in the kitchen was packed full of meat, sweets and additional sides. So much food.

We actually allowed Max to try some pumpkin pie. He's never had sugar before. I just can't stand man-made chemicals (like high fructose corn syrup) going into my son! I guess twice a year of inorganic food won't hurt him. Here's his uncle DJ holding him during his first experience with sugar...

I guess the team of Jack Russells had a good time while we ate...it's a Jack Russell sandwich! Gross...

And if you enjoy good wine, spend more than $45 for once and try one of these. Totally worth it. The ZD is magnificent. It was a great Thanksgiving. It really was. Max was exhausted by the early evening, and so were we. I'm glad everyone was there. It definitely was an enjoyable day. I must say, Vicki and I made really great food. From the four different pies, lemon bars and variety of meat she made to the rutabagas and sides I made, it was a feast. I mean, how many people enjoyed roast duck yesterday? We did!

After everyone left, Max ran around the house naked celebrating the fabulous day.

Bad ass

Yesterday, Handsomer wore one of Jesse's bandannas. We went to the store and this beautiful older woman dressed to the 9's came up and said, "Oooh my! He's a little bad ass!"

Another shark attack

This morning I woke up to this. Maximus has chewed on his "shark cage" rail and there's structural damage! And I'm sure he ate the wood that he chewed off! When we bought this crib, Jesse went around scratching all the cribs at Babies 'R Us to ensure that Max wouldn't be able to EAT ANY OF THEM! He pulls the crib rail guards off and gnaws away. That's just another day in the life of a baby shark.

Jesse's away, so I will play...

Jesse went on an overnight "hunting retreat" with his dad this evening. I was so happy to see how excited he was! And his dad (Danny) is a man of consistent mellow emotion. There's really only one word to describe Danny...and that's simply CHILL. Jesse's mom (Vicki) and I were talking about how excited Dan and Jesse were. They weren't jumping up and down, they didn't say they were excited or anything; they just came back from work, grabbed their stuff we packed for them, said goodbye and left quickly. They never sat down. Men are weird. And hunting? Whatever.

After Jesse left for his trip, I decided to have a wonderful date with a guy who is insanely handsome, loves to laugh, likes to play little games and who loves to cuddle at the end of the evening- Maximus Lane Handsomer Baby Shark Sherwood. We hung out at his Grandmas house and of course, she rewarded him with a new tow truck and we headed home. We played with his new little truck, countless games of "hide and seek", fetch with the dogs, we built a fort on the bed (blanket over our heads) and had a tickle fest. Handsomer even got to stay up a little past his bedtime.

He got so damn excited when he was in the kitchen and I started playing with his tow truck. He literally ran to it!
On the way home, we stopped for one of my favorite sandwiches from Jimmy Johns. Maximus ate some of the pickle that came with the sandwich and I scarfed it down. It was a treat on whole wheat.

It's funny to think that 2 years ago, spending a Friday night like this would have practically disgusted me. I would have rather gone out with my friends and party. Yeah, I was one of those girls. But after having our son, I am so incredibly grateful that I'm a mom and I couldn't imagine my life without our little boy. I was thinking about how things happened and I realized that we're truly lucky to have him after my battle with cancer. I was literally "let's do one more round of chemotherapy" away from not being able to have children. We love and adore him and we're his biggest fans.

My kid finally has kid hair

This is Max after his bath last night. His hair is slowly changing from peach fuzz to kid hair. (I had to mess around with the contrast and brightness of the photo to make his hair visible.)

This morning I heard Handsomer singing in his room over the monitor. He sounded so busy! He was grunting and I swear I heard some hammering or something. I went in and saw that he had thrown his blankie, his dodo (that's pacifier) and his shark out of his crib. The kid even took off the plastic teething guard and threw it out! I have no idea how he was able to yank it off the rail because they're pretty stuck on. Maybe shark helped.

We stooped to the "ghettoness" of Wal-Mart

Max and I were at Wal-Mart this morning. I honestly hate shopping there, but in this miniature city, that's all there is for certain things like diapers. (I will never purchase groceries there. No way.) Anyway, while we were in the baby section, a lady asked me for some help in picking out a gift for a baby shower. She didn't have any children herself and she wanted to buy things that the baby would actually use. I was very happy to help her since I never had a baby shower of my own. I picked out things from newborn diapers to extra large swaddle blankets. And at Wal-Mart, you don't have a zillion options.

While I was helping her, Max was in the cart digging through my purse. He pulled out his box of organic cheddar duckies and rather than eating them, HE ATE THE BOX. He chewed on it a little during dinner Saturday night, but today he actually swallowed some of the box. He had drooled all himself, was missing a shoe and had a slight scent of poo. At least he was dressed nice, but it just seemed so typical of that ghetto store. I hope the packaging is organic like the food inside.

Gorilla crawl and a few steps

Lately Max only crawls like a gorilla. We read it's what kids do before they give up crawling and stick to walking. He can walk across the living room now, but only if he's focused. Most times, he gets too excited and tries to run, which usually ends up with him falling on his face. But here's proof of a few steps.

First fort

Maximus pulled the laundry basket over himself last night and created his first fort. He's smiling at Jesse through it. And it looks like the dogs want to attack him.

Our lovely evening

After Jesse got home, we got ready and headed out to a local brewery for dinner. Here's Maximus helping dad get ready...and Jesse's going to kill me for posting this picture of him in his BOXERS! Ha!
After dinner, Max was exhausted. A gave him his "B's" (bath, bottle, bed) and he actually fell asleep on my shoulder! My baby never does that anymore because he's so busy. He'd rather find the remote, attack the dogs, eat dog food, etc. I miss the days when he was a helpless little baby. Aww...

As snug as a Handsomer in a rug

I had to take a picture of Handsomer sleeping. His long skinny legs and feet still crack my ass up! And of course, he woke up when the flash went off.

I can't put my arms down!

I love baby winter clothes-especially coats-but poor Max can't really move in them!

We love this green coat. It looks like a coat from when I was a kid in the 80's!

A morning of broken glass, 13 steps and a scarf

...and the worst mother of the year award goes to...

ME.

I was making Max a little fleece blankie this morning. I was working on it in the kitchen as Max crawled around with a packet of wipes that I keep near his high chair. He likes to carry the wipes around the house because the package crunches and makes noise. I was literally 3 feet away from the cabinet he was standing near. In the back of the cabinet, there was a wine glass. It took him only one second to grab that glass and drop it on the floor. It shattered right at his feet and I'm so lucky he didn't get hurt! What a freakin' idiot I am! I spun around, gasped and scooped him up in a nano second. Then I cried because I'm a freakin' idiot of a mom!

After the glass shattering accident, he was a little cranky. He hasn't really been a friend today, so I hope he's not feeling ill. He was standing up and had this look on his face that said, "mom, I'm walking toward you with my arms out and crying, so pleeeease hold me" and he took THIRTEEN STEPS to my legs and then hugged me. Oh man, it was the most adorable thing ever. He's getting better at walking and he sits down after taking a few steps. And he's only 9 months old! (I'm sort of proud, if you couldn't tell)

I finished his little blankie and made him a scarf with the remnants. So cute.

Wasabi vinaigrette

This is by far, my favorite dressing to use with salad. I'm not one for spicy things, but this has been my favorite for a while. Keep in mind: a little goes a long way.

• 1/2 teaspoon wasabi paste (I haven't tried it with the powder, so use the paste)
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar or rice wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons organic extra-virgin olive oil

Whisk wasabi, vinegar and soy sauce. Slowly whisk in oil to combine. Drizzle over baby greens and love it. (This is for 1 large non-entree sized salad or two side salads)

Six steps

Last Wednesday, Maximus took three steps for Jesse...and then fell on his face. Since then, he's taken three or four steps at a time and then he sits down. This morning he pulled himself up and took SIX STEPS to his little farm without falling or sitting down! My baby is learning to walk!

We bought these super cute jeans for Handsomer on Saturday. They're sized at 6 months and we have to roll the waist so they don't fall off. His waist is still only 13 inches around!

Because I'm vain...

These are the jeans I used to wear before I got knocked up. I tried them on 8 weeks after giving birth and I couldn't squeeze into them, so I threw them into a box and CRIED. I'll admit, I'm vain and obsessed with my image; that's just how I am. I tried them on this morning and cried again, but with happiness! I ran around the house looking in every mirror while I giggled. This is a big deal to me! I gained nearly 80 pounds while I was pregnant because I was stupid and gave into my every craving. After Max was born, I realized I had to change because I wasn't happy with excess weight. I don't eat fast food, white flour, sugar, processed foods among other things and I feel amazing! I accepted the fact that I wouldn't have a 26 inch waist ever again, but shit, I was wrong! Jesse told me it'd take time, but I thought he was just telling me "you'll be a fat ass forever" in a nice way.

Pea giveaway!

Max gave up on peas. I don't want to throw them away and I'll mail them to anyone who wants them. They're all certified organic, so if ANYONE knows of a baby who would eat them, let me know.

Four generations of Handsomeness

Maximus' great grandmother took us all out to dinner and I'm glad I shot a picture of these four. (Lorraine, Jesse, Maximus and Vicki)

I love this picture of Max and Jesse. Max is wearing the bow tie that Jesse wore as a little boy. It's 25 years old!

How to brainwash your child

Jesse is absolutely retarded over the Dallas Cowboys. He is convinced that Maximus will end up playing for them as their quarterback. He's even admitted that if Max plays on another team, I will be the only one on his side cheering him on if they're playing the Cowboys. Sad, I know. Here's Max sleeping for the first time at home. Surrounded by Cowboys stuff, of course.

And here's Maximus on his changing table, with nothing to look at besides Cowboys stuff.Here's Maximus being reminded of which team he's going to play for after a bath.

Jesse decided to buy him his first football so Max will be ready to play (once he learns how to walk).

...and here's the trash can I painted by hand!

Happy Halloween from Handsomer

I don't know why I didn't entertain the thought of taking Maximus trick-or-treating until the last minute. When Jesse got home from work, I informed him of my brilliant idea and he seriously looked at me like I had lobsters crawling from my ears. He said something about Maximus being far too young, but I wasn't going to listen to any form of "no". I ended up dragging Jesse's 6'5 anti-social ass out of the house while I was whining things like, "but it's his FIRST Halloween, you moron! You HAVE to take a zillion pictures and quit being such a grinch!"

We spotted a "trunk-or-treat" at the elementary school a block away. (I used to make fun of those types of things...but now that I'm a mom, I'm totally for the safe and sappy things) Maximus "trunk-or-treated" for about 6 minutes and had a stash of 8 pieces of candy. We came home and I wrapped up his candy with the date and put it with his keepsake baby things. He was so, so tired.